Overwatch Mobile a possibility, but don't get too excited just yet
A new book mentions the project was underway at some point
- A mobile port of Blizzard's hot hero-shooter Overwatch was in development
- That's according to a new book from itinerant Blizzard-covering journalist Jason Schreier
- But any news on whether it's still in the works is thin on the ground
Blizzard's hot hero shooter Overwatch was being developed for mobile, a new book has confirmed. Penned by Jason Schreier, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall and Future of Blizzard Entertainment has already courted controversy for details of the numerous scandals in the company's ranks that were unrevealed until the book's release.
However, Schreier also revealed that a mobile version of Overwatch, the popular hero shooter that first released in 2016, was in the works at some point. Despite what you may have heard though, there's no indication that this port is still in development, if it ever got anywhere significant.
The segment that has been repeated ad infinitum amongst other outlets goes thusly: "Overwatch was led by Walter Kong, who oversaw the release of regular heroes and content for Overwatch 2, as well as new projects like a mobile version of the franchise."
While there's no guarantee, I think it's fair to say that Overwatch Mobile is far from confirmed until we get a solid yes or no from Blizzard themselves. I'd certainly argue that if it were still in the works, Schreier would most likely not have mentioned it in his book. As while he's not been reticent to lay out Blizzard's dirty laundry, there's a big difference between turmoil behind the scenes and actual in-progress projects in legal terms.
Still, the excitement behind this passage certainly shows there's a hankering for the hero shooter to come to mobile. And with Walter Kong only taking over the general management position in 2021, this certainly isn't ancient history that's easy to dismiss.
But while you're waiting to see whether any of this comes to pass, why not dig into some of the picks on our list of the best mobile games of 2024 (so far)? Or dig into the latest entry in our regular feature that covers the top five new mobile games to try this week!
