They publicly announced the rename, which was the first time most people heard any Overwatch-related news in years. People remembered the game existed and went to check it out; turns out a lot had changed and word of mouth spread, bringing even more players.
A bunch of stuff, apparently.
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatchs-glow-up-didnt-just-happen-overnight-its-successes-have-been-in-the-works-for-years-now/
The stats in OP suggest that it was more or less overnight.
They renamed Overwatch 2 to Overwatch, which drew major attention back to the game for the first time in years.
No it’s still Overwatch 2
The rename takes effect on the tenth.
Right, which is in the future. Which doesn’t explain the present.
They publicly announced the rename, which was the first time most people heard any Overwatch-related news in years. People remembered the game existed and went to check it out; turns out a lot had changed and word of mouth spread, bringing even more players.
Explain people expecting things to come from future, aka marketing PR.