Release date of Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 delayed to 2023

As part of Activision Blizzard's quarterly earnings report, the company announced during a conference call with investors that two of its highly anticipated games will be released quite a bit later than previously anticipated. According to a report by Kotaku, this release delay affects the colorful multiplayer shooter Overwatch 2 as well as the next iteration of Blizzard's legendary hack and slash franchise, Diablo 4.

Even though both Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 were unveiled at BlizzCon 2019, the two games have yet to receive an official release date. This release will now happen in 2023 at the earliest, indicating that the titles were previously scheduled to be released next year. In the official statement, Activision Blizzard alluded that working under new leadership in key creative roles contributed to the delay. It is likely that the rocky past months, in which the California-based developer made negative headlines due to alleged sexism and poor working conditions, also played a role in the now delayed release of Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2.

Even prior to these incidents, the well-known American developer had to go through some personnel changes when Jeff Kaplan, director of the original Overwatch, left the company. After former Activision Blizzard president Allen Brack resigned in August, it has now been announced that his successor Jen Oneal will also leave the developer by the end of the year. It appears that more tumultuous times may lie ahead of Activision Blizzard, and the delayed release of Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 certainly won't make it any easier for the troubled game developer.

Buy the original Overwatch for PC on Amazon