Blizzard have taken to their forums to announce that the next big patch for Overwatch won’t be a patch as we know it, it’s going to be a brand new version of the game so you’re going to have download the whole thing.
Here’s what they posted:
Hey folks,
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 full reinstall will apply to all versions, both console and PC. A new character was recently introduced to the game, Ashe, the ringleader of the Deadlock Gang.
Source: Blizzard
