Overwatch 2 PvE Hero Mission mode has been cancelled

Posted on May 17, 2023

Blizzard has announced that Overwatch 2‘s long-awaited PvE Hero Missions, which were announced pre-launch but were not incorporated into the game when it came out last year, have been indefinitely shelved. Hero Missions were intended to be co-op PvE experiences where players could level up their favourite Heroes and improve their abilities. Despite this change in plans, the developers have confirmed that PvE story missions are still part of the upcoming content roadmap.

“With everything we’ve learned about what it takes to operate this game at the level you deserve, it’s clear that we can’t deliver on that original vision for PvE that was shown in 2019,” said Blizzard Entertainment Executive Producer Jared Neuss in a development livestream. “So, what that means is that we won’t be delivering that dedicated Hero mode with talent trees, that long-term progression… Those things just aren’t in our plans anymore.”

Acknowledging the dismay of many fans who were excited about the potential of PvE content that both Overwatch 2 and its predecessor largely lacked, Game Director Aaron Keller assured players that PvE content is still on the way, albeit in a different form. “Going forward though, rather than doing a big one-time PvE release and rather than pouring all of our efforts into these singular PvE releases, we’re planning to make co-op experiences and co-op gameplay just part of our live roadmap,” Keller said. “We want you to be able to experience it more often, and with more variety than we had originally announced.”

Said live roadmap has been made available on Twitter. This shows some of the upcoming content players can expect over the next three seasons, including new game modes, Heroes, and the debut of Story Missions in Season 6.

This is certainly a shame for players who became invested in Overwatch 2 due to the promise of substantial PvE Hero Missions being eventually introduced. PvE content in general has been a long-requested feature in Overwatch 2. Hopefully players seeking a good non-PvP Overwatch experience can find that in Overwatch 2’s Story Missions when they are eventually added into the game in Season 6.