The next Overwatch major patch will require a full reinstall

Halloween Terror may be leaving Overwatch, but we just got some startling news: the next major patch will require a full re-install of the game. A Blizzard representative made the following post:

We wanted to get ahead of this early and let you all know what to expect with our next big patch. We don’t currently have a release date/time with this, but will update this thread once we do.

The next major patch will have some pretty fundamental changes to the game client. The number of back-end changes we’re putting in is substantial enough that we can’t just patch over the current content efficiently. As a result, when the next patch comes out, the client will fully reinstall itself to handle these changes. We know that this isn’t ideal for people on metered connections, so hopefully this announcement helps you prepare for this coming update.

Thanks for your patience with this matter, and we’ll see you all in game!

The next major patch is likely going to include Ashe, our 29th hero. Unlike previous BlizzCons, we won’t be getting a map in the foreseeable future along with our new hero. We’re not quite sure why a full reinstall will be necessary; the post simply cites “fundamental changes to the game client”.

Recently, we’ve seen additions like the new social features like Looking For Group. We do know future social features are incoming, although they have yet to be announced; the re-install may be necessary to accommodate that upcoming content.

Overwatch is close to 30GB, so folk with data caps and metered connections will want to plan ahead around this re-install process.