Blizzard will release certain games via Steam, starting with Overwatch 2

Blizzard Entertainment will release PC versions of its games via Steam. So far, games from the developer on PC can only be played via the Battle.net launcher. Overwatch 2 will be the first game that Blizzard releases via Steam. That happens on August 10.

In a blog post Blizzard announced that gamers can use all the usual features of Valve’s gaming platform via Steam, including Steam achievements, the friends list and the ability to invite players to a game. The Overwatch 2 Steam page is already online at the time of writing. Users still need a Battle.net account to play Overwatch 2; that includes console versions of Blizzard games.

The American company says it wants to make its games as accessible as possible for all gamers. Steam is by far the largest distribution platform for PC games. It is not clear whether Overwatch 2 will also be supported on the Steam Deck. Blizzard also wants to release more games via Valve’s game platform at a later date. It is therefore not yet known whether, for example, the recently released dungeon crawler Diablo IV or the popular mmorpg World of Warcraft will be released via Steam.

Whether the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft has influenced this choice is still speculation. Previously, Microsoft and Sony signed an agreement to keep Call of Duty available on the PlayStation ecosystem. Blizzard may want to guarantee similar accessibility with Steam releases of its games with the acquisition in mind. There is currently no official reason for this assumption.

Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play multiplayer shooter with a battle pass system that allows players to earn cosmetic items after purchase. In the 2022 sequel, teams of five players play against each other. There are now 37 Heroes in the game, each with their own abilities and roles.