In the third-quarter earnings conference call of Activision Blizzard, it was officially announced that Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 will now be launched later than expected. As we work with the new leadership within the franchise, especially in certain key creative roles, it is clear that some of the Blizzard content planned for next year will benefit from more development time to make the most of it. Potential, Blizzard executives said on the phone.
Activision Blizzard mentioned the higher voluntary turnover rate and many people leaving the company as factors contributing to this new delay. After the news that Blizzard Entertainment had filed multiple lawsuits for harassment, assault, and discrimination, Blizzard Entertainment suffered a large number of dismissals and high-profile resignations, including Luis, the game director of Diablo 4.
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Just before the lawsuit was exposed, Jeff Kaplan, the production director of Overwatch 2, also announced his departure. The departure of these employees clearly affected Blizzard’s ability to develop and release these highly anticipated games.
Although Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 had no specific release dates before, Blizzard had strongly hinted at a 2022 release date. It now appears that these two games may not be released until 2023. Activision Blizzard said on the conference call: Although we still plan to provide a lot of content from Blizzard next year, we now plan to launch Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 later than originally envisioned.