Free-to-play Overwatch 2's beta releases in June

This story about sequel news, boiled down, in 1:09 minutes.

What's the fuss?

New details surrounding a long-awaited sequel to a lasting hero shooter franchise has recently dropped, revealing some unexpected changes.

The situation

2016's Overwatch is a competitive, cartoony shooter where players select from a roster of heroes with special abilities to best the other team in a variety of game modes.

• The game has been quite the successful video game with over 60 million copies sold and sporting a popular esports league.
• A sequel, Overwatch 2, is slated to release in October with some fundamentally new changes.

During Xbox's recent showcase, some noteworthy details for Overwatch 2 dropped that came as quite a surprise. 

• We already knew the game was releasing in October, but fans will get early access to the game in June with an open beta.
• The game will also be free-to-play, diverting from the original Overwatch's model of a traditional upfront purchase.

Boiling it down

The obvious advantage to having a free-to-play model is that it lowers the barrier to entry for new players.

• Such a business model may be a direct response to the original Overwatch's declining player base over the last year.
• The game will likely instead try to recoup their development costs instead through more expensive microtransactions.

Overwatch 2 had a closed beta earlier this year that allowed a select few to preview the game.

• Many of these select gamers streamed the game to their fanbases online, which got quite the mixed response.
• Hopefully, the developers of Overwatch 2 took such feedback and make the necessary changes before their June deadline.

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