‘Overwatch 2’ is on its way to Steam in August

Blizzard Entertainment revealed that Overwatch 2 is on its way to Steam as the first of a selection of its games that will leap over to the platform.

Originally, Overwatch 2 was only available for PC through Blizzard’s own digital distribution service, Battle.net. “As we’ve evolved, the industry has evolved too – gaming is no longer just for specific communities as it was when Battle.net launched over two decades ago,” read a press release on the announcement.

In order to “break down barriers” for new and veteran Overwatch 2 players, the hero shooter will launch on Steam on August 10. This isn’t intended to replace Overwatch 2‘s presence on Battle.net, however, as players will still require a Battle.net account to be entered into the game and access cross play.

“Players using Steam will have access to features of the platform while playing Overwatch 2, such as Steam achievements, their Steam friends list, and the ability to invite them to play in-game,” continued the press release.

The launch coincides with the release of Invasion, also occurring on August 10. Containing three campaign missions, it will add a new PvP mode and an as yet unannounced new hero. The missions are set in Rio de Janeiro, Toronto and Gothenburg and will task players with “complex objectives” to secure success.

Last week, Microsoft shared that Call Of Duty‘s stint on Battle.net was a “resounding failure” for Activision Blizzard. According to the document that was used in the lawsuit between Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission, the number of PC players of Activision Blizzard’s roster of games dropped from 35million to 22million over the course of three years.

In other gaming news, veteran voice actor Doug Cockle has stressed the importance of speaking about cancer in order to catch diagnoses early.