Blizzard Delays Overwatch 2 Mid-Season Update Due To “Critical Issue”

Blizzard’s new free-to-play hero shooter Overwatch 2 had all sorts of issues when it arrived on Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms last month, and unfortunately, it’s still dealing with some problems.

In the latest development, Blizzard has made the tough decision to delay a major mid-season cycle patch just hours before it launched, due to a “critical issue”. It hasn’t revealed what exactly the problem is.

Today’s patch is delayed as we work to resolve a critical issue. We’ll provide an update here and set the patch live as soon as the problem is addressed.

This includes the upcoming balance changes, bug fixes, including those that affect Mei, and core content updates we have planned for this patch. This delay also impacts the delivery of Overwatch League Viewership Incentives & Perks from the Postseason matches during the period between Oct 30 – Nov 4, along with the rotation of cosmetics in the Overwatch League shop.

Daily and weekly challenges will reset today, as well as the standard shop refresh.

Thanks for your understanding, we’ll be working on releasing this patch as soon as possible. Follow our forums and socials at @PlayOverwatch for updates.

In an update, Blizzard said it was now planning to launch the patch on November 17th:

UPDATE 4:00 PM PST, 11/15 – We are now planning to release this mid-season patch on Thursday, November 17 at 11 AM PST. Thank you to our players for your patience as we addressed this issue.

When it does arrive, players can expect bug fixes – including the return of Mei. This latest update follows Blizzard announcing the game has now reached more than 35 million people in the first month.