'Overwatch 2' offers new characters, maps, game modes, and more, according to Jeff Kaplan

Over the weekend, fans of Blizzard Entertainment were treated to a stellar lineup of big reveals. Highly anticipated sequels and add-ons debuted during BlizzCon 2019 to the delight of gamers. Despite pro-democracy protests for Hong Kong happening outside the exhibition areas, the overall reception from attendees was reportedly favourable. "World of Warcraft" and "Hearthstone" are apparently receiving expansions, while the rest were new installments to each respective franchise. "Overwatch 2" was the last one title to make an appearance and these are all the new elements revealed during the game studio's expo.

Similar to each of the games that were announced, lead game designer Jeff Kaplan took the stage to talk about "Overwatch 2.". What followed was a short, but exceptional animated feature titled "Zero Hour" that surprisingly matched the description detailed by a leak last week. Winston, Tracer, Mei, Genji, Reinhardt, Brigitte and Echo were shown fighting Omnics and Paris.

One of the new characters joining the roster is Sojourn, as noted by Polygon. While she is a new addition to the franchise, fans closely monitoring the team-based shooter's lore already have an idea about her. She was first seen albeit quite briefly on the animated short "Recall" where Winston initiated the group's call to arms. Moreover, others claim she is the woman on the far right seen on the photo shown in the footage of Ana's origin story. Nevertheless, she is the first one to be introduced with Echo expected to debut shortly.

During the "Overwatch 2" presentation, Kaplan likewise advertised a new game mode alongside new maps. Perhaps one of the best news players heard was the confirmation that all content unlocked from the first game will carry over to the sequel. This means skins, emotes, sprays, victory poses, voice lines and highlight intros players own, will be available in the new game.

Blizzard Entertainment is approaching the game a little differently by focusing more on story-driven content. Similar to the seasonal events of the original title, players will be able to take on waves of enemies. From what was shown at BlizzCon 2019, it seems likely that it will be a four-player campaign.

A new gameplay mechanic allows players to level up to unlock and customise a character's abilities – this appears to be exclusive to the PVE game mode. Finally, Kaplan assured fans that all new characters will be available for "Overwatch" and "Overwatch 2" as soon as they are released. The developers have yet to announce the launch date and supported platforms.