In what looks like a first, Blizzard will offer some of its games on Valve's Steam store.
Blizzard is starting with Overwatch 2, which will be free-to-play on Steam starting Aug. 10. “We want to break down the barriers to make it easier for players everywhere to find and enjoy our games,” the studio said in today’s announcement.
That means interested gamers won’t have to download Blizzard’s Battle.net client to play Overwatch 2. In the announcement, Blizzard said it’s breaking away from the old model to try and reach more players. “As we’ve evolved, the industry has evolved too—gaming is no longer just for specific communities as it was when Battle.net launched over two decades ago,” it said.
Overwatch 2 (Credit: Blizzard)Blizzard President Mike Ybarra also cited user feedback in making the change. “While Battle.net remains a priority for us now and into the future, we’ve heard players want the choice of Steam for a selection of our games.”
The move also comes as Microsoft closes in on acquiring Activision Blizzard following an arduous legal battle with the FTC and other global regulators. To convince skeptics that the deal is good for the gaming industry, Microsoft—which has already expanded its own games to Steam—insists that it’ll bring Activision titles to more platforms.
In addition, Overwatch 2 appears to be struggling to attract an audience. In an earnings report today, Activision noted “engagement and player investment in Overwatch 2 declined sequentially in the quarter,” although the company has high hopes for the Aug. 10 release of Overwatch 2: Invasion, a seasonal update.
Still, Blizzard stopped short of saying it'll bring every game to Steam; expect only a "selection." That likely means the recently released Diablo IV won't be arriving anytime soon. The company plans on “sharing more about potential other games coming to the platform when the time is right.”
Nevertheless, the news is a win for PC gamers who prefer Steam over other game launchers. It also means Steam Deck users will have an easier time running Blizzard games on their handheld.