On Friday, Blizzard confirmed that Overwatch, its successful team-based multiplayer game, will soon be shutting down its servers. The series' next installment, Overwatch 2, will be released shortly after.
With Overwatch 2's Oct. 4 release date approaching, features of the game have steadily been released and speculated, including a new playable hero system, uses of battle passes, and new characters. The news of Overwatch 1's servers shutting down follows an official discussion of the specifics of Overwatch 2's release.
Overwatch 1 servers will shut down on Oct. 2 ahead of Overwatch 2's release, according to a Eurogamer interview with Jon Spector. Overwatch 1 players will have the option to pre-download Overwatch 2, which is free-to-play, ahead of its release. Blizzard has also confirmed that a pre-launch checklist is in the works to assist players for a smooth transition between the two.
When Do Overwatch 1 Servers Shut Down?
Additionally, on Tuesday, Blizzard launched Overwatch 1's credits last chance campaign to provide an opportunity for players to purchase previous seasonal unlocks. While credits from Overwatch 1 will rollover to Overwatch 2, the last chance to use them will coincide with the Oct. 2 shutdown.
Similar to Overwatch 1, Overwatch 2 will be available to play on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC. Blizzard has also announced that cross-platform progression will be available by merging respective Overwatch 2 accounts.
This article was originally published on dbltap as When do Overwatch 1 Servers Shut Down?.