Overwatch 2 And Diablo IV Delays Confirmed By Activision
Activision Blizzard has confirmed that their two upcoming titles, Diablo IV and Overwatch 2, have been delayed. The company revealed that both titles in the pipeline will be launched later "than originally envisaged."
The developers claim that the delays to the titles will give them "some extra time to complete production and continue growing their creative resources," whilst it remains unclear as to whether we will see either of them in 2022.
No timeframe was added to either project, however, Activision appears to be admitting that their predicted revenue from both titles may not arrive in the next year, inferring that it may be 2023 by the time they launch. "These decisions will push out the financial uplift that we had expected to see next year," the report reads, although they remain "confident that this is the right course of action for our people, our players, and the long-term success of our franchises."
Despite the delays to Overwatch 2, we will still be seeing the game in action throughout 2022, even if the public cannot get their hands on it. Activision confirmed that the Overwatch League will start, as usual, in spring, on an early build of the sequel's 5v5 competitive mode. The finale of the OWL 2021 season ended with a record-breaking number of viewers, many of whom feared that it could be a final goodbye to some of their heroes.
Diablo fans may find some comfort in the fact that the remastered Diablo II: Resurrected was the most-sold remastered title in the company's history, beating the likes of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Campaign, having been released in September. Their upcoming mobile game, Diablo Immortal, is still planned for release in early 2022, despite the elusive Diablo IV being delayed.
The published quarterly report doesn't read as doom and gloom for Activision though, as the company revealed that throughout their entire collection of titles, including King's Candy Crush, Blizzard's World of Warcraft, and the gargantuan Call of Duty franchise, the publishers made a jaw-dropping $1.3 billion on microtransactions alone.
Although their overall stock may be at a five-year low, presumably due to the looming lawsuits investigating workplace harassment and sexism, and delays to two major titles, Activision did say that they are "excited" about the future, especially with the Call of Duty ecosystem being the best they've ever seen.