AlphaCast, HyP and Lutti say goodbye to Overwatch

It is the end of an era! OverwatchOverwatch 1 is now inaccessible. Its servers shut down on October 3, 2022 at 6pm in preparation for the release of Overwatch 2. This was an opportunity for AlphaCast, Lutti, HyP and all those who have been affected by Blizzard's FPS to say goodbye to it live.

Overwatch was announced in 2014 for a 2016 release. It was particularly anticipated by gamers from all walks of life thanks to Blizzard's aura and a well-crafted marketing campaign. A craze that made the title extremely popular on the networks and propelled careers on Twitch and YouTube, both on the side of players and commentators and analysts.

AlphaCast has been able to play both. He created Guild Wars 2 content with his sidekick Sansu on O'Gaming before dedicating his channels to Star Citizen, and then launching himself on Overwatch. He could also be a player, notably for the French team at the 2016 World Cup, or a commentator for the Overwatch League.

For AlphaCast, life has changed a lot since Overwatch launched, as its viewers remind it. While in some people's minds the game was released yesterday, for others it has accompanied a long period of their lives. Alpha himself realises how much his life, his thinking and the way he creates content has changed in six years.

Lutti was attached to another Blizzard game. He began to gain popularity by putting his energy and editing skills to work on Hearthstone content for Gamers Origin. The release of Overwatch was a real revelation as he pretty much abandoned the card game to focus on the FPS. He has also become a commentator for the Overwatch League and many other competitions since.

As well as playing the game one last time, Lutti also looked back at his past Overwatch-related videos and performances. The opportunity to relive matches such as the famous France vs United Kingdom from 2018 #A with Le6.

Even though both influencers have come back to pay homage to this very special game in their career, the desire to invest in Overwatch 2 is far from being present. It must be said that the very evolution of Overwatch did not necessarily convince them and that they have both detached themselves from the license today.

They are not the only ones. HyPThe captain of the Valorant team of Mandatory, made his first steps in the competition on Shootmania, but it is on Overwatch that he revealed himself as one of the essential players of the French esport scene.

For me, Overwatch has been over for a while, since I changed careers. That said, seeing the end of a game that has done so much for me, where I have so many memories and met so many friends, it's quite something. It's the end of a story, and the beginning of a new one for future Overwatch 2 players.

HyP, Mandatory captain and former player of the French Overwatch team

AlphaCast says it's disappointed that Overwatch 2 is launching without its single-player campaign, even though Blizzard made it the number one argument for the transition from one game to the next. Indeed, Overwatch 2 officially opens its doors tonight at 9pm in France, but it will only have its multiplayer mode. For him, as for many others, this transition looks more like a small patch than a true new iteration of the game, while Blizzard has suspended updates for Overwatch 1 for years to work on this launch. Overwatch 2's famous single-player (and paid) mode is scheduled for release in 2023.

In any case, this is the end of a short but intense era for esports. It remains to be seen whether Overwatch 2 will be able to rekindle the flame.