During its Q3 2021 financial results conference call, Activision Blizzard revealed Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 launch plans have been pushed back. While both games haven"t had launch windows attached to them since a previous delay pushed them out of 2021, the latest tie-up is sending them back even further.
The two sequels were announced back in 2019 at BlizzCon. "While we are still planning to deliver a substantial amount of content from Blizzard next year, we are now planning for a later launch for Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV than originally envisaged," the company said.
It certainly sounds like fans will be waiting until at least 2023 to get their hands on these major sequels, as the company says at one point in the presentation, "these decisions will push out the financial uplift that we had expected to see next year".
"We believe giving the teams some extra time to complete production and continue growing their creative resources to support the titles after launch will ensure that these releases delight and engage their communities for many years into the future," added the company.
At the same time, another major departure at Blizzard leadership will see Jen Oneal stepping down as co-leader at the end of 2021. She has spent over 20 years at Activision before stepping into the role earlier this year. The remaining current co-leader Mike Ybarra will be taking over the leadership role completely following the move.