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Over the weekend, the internet has been alight with rumours.

A report from ESPN suggests that the outlet has a document revealing the existence of Overwatch 2, and ESPN claims a further source has verified the authenticity of the document.

ESPN writes that Overwatch 2 will ship with a robust PvE element and will include a more traditional gaming narrative, focusing on missions that include "a four-player story experience set in Rio de Janeiro".

The new release in the Overwatch series will introduce a fresh mode into the PvP aspect of the game, too. Named Push, the new game type will debut on a new map set in Toronto.

According to ESPN, the new mode – and a new hero – will be playable at this year's BlizzCon. You've only got to wait until this weekend to see if it all checks out.

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This news isn't really that surprising – Blizzard was always going to use the first Overwatch game as a springboard to other releases. A cursory look at the company's history demonstrates how it capitalises on every IP it owns.

But in a recent interview J. Allen Brack, president at Blizzard, Daily Star learned that the rumoured Overwatch 2 could be just the beginning when it comes to expanding the much-loved universe.

"When you look at how Blizzard looks at IP, we always imagine, with the IP that we create, that there will be a lot of very different kinds of experiences within it," Brack explains. "Warcraft is the most mature version of that – with three distinct kinds of genres within the universe.

"We’re super fortunate in the fact we’ve got 4 big tent-pole IPs in the form of Warcraft, Starcraft, Overwatch and Diablo. Then you’ve got Heroes of the Storm as a sort of umbrella brand that covers and touches all of those.

"Warcraft has got several different types of games: it’s got its roots in real time strategy, it's got an MMO and now it’s got a CCG. All within the experience. I, personally, think that’s very cool.

"But it’s not hard to imagine different kinds of games existing within our other IPs," Brack continues.

"We’re going to continue to invest in them. We think the characters in them are great, we think the stories in them in are great, and we think the worlds will support a lot of different types of games. "

We asked specifically if we could expect the Overwatch series expand into other territories – ones that Blizzard hasn't touched before, such as fighting games – and Brack smiled and said 'that would be great, I can see how that would work!'

The wording of Warcraft as the 'most mature' franchise strikes us as interesting. It suggests that Blizzard sees all its IP as platforms to expand and add to as time goes on.

That suggests we could see the likes of Overwatch, an IP with currently just one game in its roster, potentially expand to include mobile titles, more console titles or even VR experiences (Brack believes "VR is still right there in the background" with "its power and capacity" increasing year-on-year).

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Whatever happens at BlizzCon 2019, it's good to know that Blizzard's focus on Overwatch isn't short-term.

Overwatch may have been the first IP Blizzard launched in 18 years, but now it's out the door, we expect it to be just as big a franchise as Diablo or Warcraft... eventually.

BlizzCon 2019 will begin at 16:30 on Friday, 1 November and ends at 05:00 on Sunday, 3 November (UK time).