Blizzard’s Bringing Its PC Video games To Steam, Beginning With Overwatch 2

Blizzard Leisure is bringing its PC video games to Steam, beginning with the discharge of Overwatch 2 on Valve’s digital storefront on Aug. 10, Blizzard introduced Wednesday. Polygon experiences: The Home windows PC model of Overwatch 2, like lots of Blizzard’s PC video games, is presently solely out there via Battle.web. However with Microsoft’s impending acquisition of Activision Blizzard and declining participant engagement within the sport, the maker of Diablo, Warcraft, and Overwatch seems to be altering its technique. Blizzard says it’s going to carry “a variety” of its video games to Steam, however didn’t specify which titles past Overwatch 2 will make the bounce from Battle.web. (A number of traditional Blizzard video games, together with the unique Diablo and the primary two Warcraft video games, can be found via GOG.com.)

The acceptance of Steam as a platform for Blizzard’s video games is a part of the studio’s evolution, the corporate mentioned in a weblog publish. “[O]ne of the concepts pushing us ahead is assembly gamers around the globe the place they’re, and making our video games as straightforward as potential to entry and play,” the corporate mentioned. “We wish to give everybody an opportunity to expertise our universes with outdated pals whereas making new ones, regardless of how they select to play.” In its announcement, Blizzard mentioned it is not shifting away from Battle.web. However, it defined, “as we have developed, the trade has developed too — gaming is not only for particular communities because it was when Battle.web launched over twenty years in the past, gaming is for everybody — and although we stay dedicated to repeatedly investing in and supporting Battle.web, we wish to break down the limitations to make it simpler for gamers in all places to seek out and luxuriate in our video games.”

Blizzard says that gamers on Steam will nonetheless want a Battle.web account related to Overwatch 2 to play the sport. The Steam model will assist Steam achievements and pals lists, however Blizzard didn’t announce Steam Deck assist. Overwatch 2 can now be wishlisted via Steam. As for Blizzard’s future plans for different sport releases on Steam, the corporate mentioned it is going to be “sharing extra about potential different video games coming to the platform when the time is true.”