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Blizzard recently announced that Overwatch 2’s PvE content is getting significantly scaled back, a piece of news that shocked and upset fans. People have theorized that one reason for the changes was Blizzard’s return-to-office policy, which requires developers to return to the office.
Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss said on Twitter that speculation suggesting that Blizzard’s RTO policy led to the changes to Overwatch 2 “isn’t true.”
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“Managing PvE and PvP development simultaneously has been a challenge for the team for years. It’s a less exciting headline but it’s reality,” Neuss explained. More details will be made available in the next Director’s Take update, Neuss said.
“I just wanted to set the record straight that this was an internal issue, not an external one,” the developer added.
Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra told Bloomberg that full-time remote work is ending and developers need to report to the office by July 10. “We fundamentally believe this is essential in creating the incredible, innovative games we make at Blizzard,” Ybarra said. Blizzard employees need to be in the office three days per working week.
Some Blizzard workers spoke out against the return-to-office policies and criticized the company for making a perceived mistake.
Ybarra quote-tweeted Neuss’ statement and added that he supports the decisions that its teams make for the best of their projects. Ybarra also said Blizzard will take this as an opportunity to learn. “It’s not easy changing direction–and we will learn from making such early expectations. I am proud of what the Overwatch team continues to do and I know the ambition remains high to bring great experiences to players,” Ybarra said.
GameSpot recently spoke to game director Aaron Keller and Neuss about what led to the decision to scale back PvE in Overwatch 2 and how they are trying to make something good come out of it. You can read our full interview to learn more.
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