Overwatch 2 faces delays as Genji voice actor Gaku Space reveals he hasn’t recorded lines, dimming hopes for a near release.
As a long-time Overwatch fan who’s spent countless hours perfecting Genji’s swift strikes and mastering the chaos of competitive matches, I’ve been hanging on every tiny detail about Overwatch 2 since it was first announced. So when I heard that Genji’s Korean voice actor, Gaku Space, dropped a bombshell in a recent interview, I immediately dove into every translation and source to make sense of what it means for the game we’ve all been waiting for.
Blizzard Entertainment first unveiled Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon 2019, and for years now, fans have been starved for concrete details. We’ve gotten teases of new heroes, a story-driven campaign, and updated maps, but no firm release date—until now, it seemed like we might finally get clarity at BlizzConline in February. But Space’s comments, translated by Reddit user Evenstar6132 and shared via Game Rant, have thrown cold water on that hope. In a PlayersCUT interview, Space, who also voices V in Cyberpunk 2077, revealed that while he’s still attached to the Overwatch franchise, he hasn’t “heard anything about Overwatch 2.” He even joked about whether Blizzard had replaced him, before confirming he’s yet to record any lines for the sequel.
Wait a second—if the voice actor for one of Overwatch’s most iconic, fan-favorite characters hasn’t recorded a single line for the game, what does that say about its development timeline? It’s not the first time we’ve gotten hints that Overwatch 2 is still far off. Back in December 2020, game director Jeff Kaplan told fans in a Developer Update that the game was still a ways from release, but Space’s comments make that timeline feel even more tangible. Voice acting is usually one of the later stages of game development, right? If they haven’t even started recording for a key character like Genji, it’s hard to imagine the game launching anytime soon.
To be fair, Blizzard has done a decent job of keeping the original Overwatch alive while we wait for the sequel. In December, they dropped the surprise team deathmatch map Kanezaka, right around the time of the annual Winter Wonderland seasonal event. Those updates have helped ease the wait, but let’s be real—they’re just band-aids. We want the full Overwatch 2 experience: the story missions that let us dive deeper into the lore of our favorite heroes, the new PvE modes that promise to be more than just horde mode, and the updated PvP that’s supposed to redefine the hero shooter genre.
And Overwatch 2 isn’t the only highly anticipated Blizzard title stuck in development limbo. Diablo 4 was also announced at BlizzCon 2019, and it’s also likely years away from release. Then there’s the Diablo 2 remake, which is being helmed by the Diablo 4 crew and Vicarious Visions, the studio behind Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. Interestingly, Blizzard absorbed Vicarious Visions just last week, meaning the studio will no longer work directly under Activision as a leading development subsidiary. That’s a big shake-up, and it makes me wonder how it might impact the timelines for both the Diablo 2 remake and Diablo 4.
So what does all this mean for us Overwatch fans? It means we’re probably in for a longer wait than we hoped. BlizzConline in February might give us more details about the game’s features, but don’t hold your breath for a release date. I know it’s frustrating—we’ve been waiting for Overwatch 2 for years, and it feels like every update just pushes the finish line further away. But as a fan, I also know that Blizzard has a history of taking their time to make sure their games are polished and fun. Maybe the extra wait will be worth it, and we’ll get an Overwatch 2 that’s even better than we imagined.
For now, I’ll keep playing the original Overwatch, perfecting my Genji plays, and hoping that the next update brings us closer to the sequel we’ve all been waiting for. But one thing is clear: Overwatch 2 is still a long way off, and we’ll just have to be patient.