Overwatch is dropping the “2” next week as Blizzard kicks off Reign of Talon seasons

Blizzard is renaming Overwatch 2 back to simply Overwatch, and it starts alongside a new seasonal run called “Reign of Talon” on February 10. The announcement came during an Overwatch Spotlight presentation that also outlined a longer narrative arc and a big batch of new playable Heroes planned over the next year.

The name change is straightforward: the game will just be called Overwatch going forward. Blizzard also says “Reign of Talon” is the start of a multi-season storyline centered on the Talon faction, with the story told through in-game events plus out-of-game pieces like comics, trailers, and short stories.

On the gameplay side, Blizzard is planning 10 new Heroes over the coming year, including a wave of five tied to the next season. Those five are Domina (Tank), Emre (DPS), Mizuki (Support), Anran (DPS), and “Jetpack Cat” (Support). The company didn’t share release timing beyond that broader “next year” window in this recap.

Another mechanical change on the way is the addition of “sub-roles,” which break existing Heroes into smaller subclasses that grant match-long perks. Blizzard’s examples included Sharpshooters like Ashe, Cassidy, and Widowmaker getting movement ability cooldown reductions on critical hits, and some Supports like Mercy and Moira receiving self-heals when they heal with their weapons.

Blizzard also teased a larger UX/UI overhaul, new in-game and post-game “Accolades,” and a Hello Kitty and friends crossover. More details are in the accompanying recap blog.