Overwatch Rush is coming to take on portable shooter giants Call of Duty: Mobile and Delta Force. Blizzard Entertainment is delivering a small-screen version of Overwatch to iOS and Android devices later this year, promising the same experience you typically find on Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 5. But it won't be exactly like you're expecting.
As reported on by PCGamesN, Blizzard is working on Overwatch Rush. It isn't a straightforward mobile port of the series' traditional formula. Instead of going in for FPS game action, it uses a top-down camera that leans into a more MOBA-style approach. That shift alone helps it stand apart, and it could be enough to tempt longtime PC and console players to check it out for something different.
We're still waiting for the full list of game modes, and there's still work to be done according to the developer: "While there remains a lot of work to do, we're eager to see how players enjoy what we've built so far, and to hear from them on what we should focus on in the coming phases of development." Don't worry about the main game, though, as Blizzard says that "Team 4 remains fully focused on Overwatch, which will continue to bring exciting and fresh new experiences for PC and console players in its recently launched Season One and beyond."
As for a release date, a press release from Blizzard clarifies that "it's far too early to say. Learnings from test cycles will help inform those plans, so please keep the feedback coming, and we'll share more info as we move forward."
Overwatch Rush is a long time coming, following endless speculation since initial rumors began in 2021. Those whispers began because of Blizzard itself, as the company's job listings hinted that Overwatch Mobile might be in development. In 2024, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier accelerated it further, adding that the head of mobile development, Walter Kong, would oversee the project.
At the time, it wasn't clear how far Overwatch Rush had come along or if Blizzard would consider pursuing development. The 2021 job listing, spotted by Dexerto, specified that the studio was looking for a new product manager to join its ranks. The job listing mentioned that the ideal candidate would "be working on multiple titles: Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone", as well as helping to "create the best mobile game experiences in the world."
Kong joined Blizzard in August 2011 as a senior director, where he worked on projects including the free mobile game hit Hearthstone, Blizzard's flagship title on mobile platforms. In his own summary of his time on the franchise on LinkedIn, he states, "I ran the team responsible for driving strategy planning and business operations for the game. The team's duties encompassed franchise strategy development [and] esports planning."
He left Blizzard in 2018 to join Epic Games, the studio behind Fortnite, before returning to Blizzard in March 2020 as an executive producer. Since 2021, Kong has served as general manager of the Overwatch franchise.