- Blizzard Entertainment is partnering with a domestic game company for the first time to help publish one of its titles, Overwatch Mobile.
- NEXON came out on top after major Korean gaming companies competed for the Starcraft IP and Overwatch Mobile rights in late 2024.
- Blizzard limited the distribution rights to South Korea and Japan, despite companies aiming for global rights.
Overwatch, Blizzard Entertainment‘s popular team-based first-person shooter title, is set to be published by NEXON in Japan and South Korea, following intense competition with major Korean game companies for the publishing rights of Overwatch Mobile.
NEXON won the bid war and is now in talks to publish Overwatch Mobile in Japan and Korea
Earlier, it was confirmed that Overwatch Mobile is in development, with Overwatch’s General Manager, Walter Kong, leading it. If you are still unfamiliar, Overwatch is a team-based FPS title set in a futuristic world, featuring an ever-evolving roster of heroes.
The game became a huge hit, introducing various World Tournaments, and Blizzard later released Overwatch 2 in 2022, building on the original with improved visuals, new features, and more.
According to MTN News, major Korean gaming companies like NEXON, NCSOFT, Netmarble, and KRAFTON all competed for the development rights of Starcraft IP and distribution rights of Overwatch Mobile in late 2024. NEXON ultimately won and has entered main negotiations with Blizzard.
It has also been revealed that Overwatch Mobile is going to be a MOBA title. Although Overwatch PC and Console can also be termed as MOBA when we take a literal meaning, if this is true, then Overwatch Mobile will be competing with mobile games such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Honor of Kings, League of Legends: Wild Rift etc.
Although Korean companies wanted global rights, Blizzard limited it to the two regions
Blizzard is handling the direct development of Overwatch Mobile, which Korean companies nicknamed as Overwatch 3 during the bidding process. While the companies aimed to secure global rights, Blizzard only offered distribution rights for South Korea and Japan.
There’s no official roadmap yet, but I’m personally really excited to see how the project shapes up. Right now, T3 Arena is the closest thing to an Overwatch-like experience on mobile; however, it’s not what a true Overwatch fan would expect. Having spent a good amount of time in OW2, I can’t wait for the real Overwatch Mobile experience when it launches.
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