Why Overwatch 2's Devs Are Frustrated With Their Own Game
Developing a video game is no easy task. It's an extremely time consuming affair that often involves dozens of people all needing to be on the same page, particularly AAA titles. On top of that, video game developers are often at the mercy of the decisions from their supervisors and potentially even shareholders as well. Add in things like crunch, and video game development can be equally as frustrating an experience as it is a gratifying one. And Blizzard Entertainment, the developer behind the hotly anticipated "Overwatch 2," has certainly been feeling the pressure.
The follow-up to 2016's "Overwatch," Blizzard's hero shooter sequel has been marred with production issues that have caused numerous delays. Initially slated for a release sometime in 2022, investor notes later revealed that the game wouldn't be out until 2023 at the earliest. With this constant moving of goalposts, the development team's vexation has only grown. And now, some members of the Blizzard team have broken their silence on the game's development, diving into why it's taken so long. In a recent interview, lead hero designer Geoff Goodman detailed the growing frustration among members of the "Overwatch 2" team.
Geoff Goodman says the Overwatch 2 team has become "upset and annoyed" with the project
Speaking with USA Today, Geoff Goodman was very candid and open about "Overwatch 2's" tumultuous and strenuous development cycle and how the team has at Blizzard Entertainment has become progressively exasperated by the experience. "I think the whole team was kind of upset and annoyed a bit with the timing of how everything got delayed," Goodman explained.
Though Goodman says that many different factors have played into each delay, the main culprit seems to be the money involved whenever a change is suggested or an new idea is proposed. "It is a pretty constant topic for everything in the game, actually, production costs," Goodman added. "I mean, Blizzard is not really a studio that is shackled to dates but that doesn't mean we're completely free from all concerns of production costs and time."
As this interview made the media rounds, many fans patiently awaiting "Overwatch 2" have weighed in on Goodman's candid comments. On Twitter, some fans have said that they're fine with the delays, so long as the game is complete when it comes out. Responding to IGN's coverage of Goodman's comments, "Overwatch" fan gamingdevil800 was not nearly as enthused and implied that the hype around the game had already taken a hit from the delays in production.