In its Q2 2023 earnings report, Activision Blizzard has admitted that Overwatch 2 is experiencing a decline in engagement and player investment. The publisher revealed that the free-to-play shooter's performance has "declined sequentially" this quarter. However, they are optimistic that the upcoming major update, Overwatch 2: Invasion, scheduled for release next month, will address this issue.
"While engagement and player investment in Overwatch 2 declined sequentially in the quarter, the Overwatch team is looking forward to the August 10 release of Overwatch 2: Invasion," stated the publisher in its earnings report. "This will be the largest seasonal update yet, planned to include new PVE Story Missions, a new game mode, and a new hero progression system as well as an additional hero."
Overwatch 2: Invasion will introduce the next set of story missions and is part of the sixth season of the team-based shooter. Recently, Blizzard confirmed that the upcoming PvE missions will be locked behind a paywall, costing $15. Additionally, they disclosed that there might not be any new story missions for Overwatch 2 for at least the next two seasons after the release of Invasion.
Overwatch 2 has faced several controversies since its launch, with the cancellation of its highly anticipated PvE Hero mode being among the most significant issues, as it was a feature that justified the sequel's existence.
