A decision by Blizzard regarding Overwatch 2 has leaked and has been upsetting fans for days: New heroes in Overwatch are no longer to be available for free and immediately to everyone but will be tied to specific conditions: Fans of the game are outraged. Some are already demanding their money back.
What principle are they breaking? The then-head of Overwatch, Jeff Kaplan, said in a 2015 video (via youtube):
We decided the best way to add [new heroes and maps] is to bring them into the game as free content and not as DLC.
Jeff Kaplan
And that is how it was all those years in Overwatch: When a new hero arrived, players could play and use them immediately. Everyone was equal and had access to the same heroes.
Because Overwatch uses a kind of “rock-paper-scissors” system and players can switch their heroes mid-match, this was an important point that set Overwatch apart from other games:
If you couldn’t make it as nimble Tracer, you might switch to Widowmaker and try it from a distance or swing the hammer as Reinhardt.
But to keep it fair, everyone needed access to all available heroes: Otherwise, you might as well have played rock-paper-scissors without scissors.
New heroes no longer accessible to everyone – players must earn them or buy
How is this principle now being broken? In Overwatch 2, players are to “earn” new heroes first: This was revealed by a mistake from Blizzard: For a brief time last week, one could catch a glimpse of a $40 package that mentioned a Battle Pass and exclusive skins.
The post included the sentence: “Those who own the Premium Battle Pass will gain automatic access to the new hero Kiriko.”
This means, by extension: Those who don’t have the pass apparently do not have access to the new hero. That is a break with the principle.
This is how Blizzard responded: An important Overwatch employee, Jon Spector, made it clear:
- The new heroes will be available on the “free track of the Battle Pass”
- Heroes could also be unlocked if you miss the season
- More details will be provided ahead of the launch on October 4
This is apparently how the model looks: Overwatch is apparently planning to bring a Battle Pass with 2 different “tracks”:
- On one track, you can earn free things – including the new hero
- However, those who pay and get the premium edition can unlock new heroes immediately
Players demand their money back
How is this being discussed? In the Overwatch community, the new development is viewed extremely critically. It is full of memes in which players express their protest:
There is a post on reddit where kids ask Tracer if they can also become heroes like her. But Tracer responds: “Um, no – you are too poor for that.”
One user posts a selection screen from Overwatch with locked heroes that you have to unlock first:
Another user posts a picture: “Sorry Bro, can’t switch off Lucio, I’m broke and in debt.”
Some of the currently biggest posts on reddit include user discussions where players are demanding refunds for Overwatch. This could still happen before the release, a user explains (via reddit).
Overwatch still has an “old” business model that is now changing
Why is this issue so annoying for many? The site PC Gamer explains: Overwatch comes from a time before the new business models took hold, which we know from games like Apex Legends or Valorant. In Overwatch, all content was freely accessible, only cosmetics could optionally be purchased through loot boxes.
And the game remained unchanged in monetization for 6 years: You bought the game and had access to everything: That was the deal Blizzard made with players.
The preparation for Overwatch 2 is simply not going well for Blizzard:
Now Blizzard is breaking this principle. In Overwatch, it is possible to switch your hero mid-game to respond to a situation – if you lack heroes for that, they apparently see it as a big problem.
It also fits with the “Blizzard is being greedy” narrative that many have in mind ever since Diablo Immortal when looking at new actions from Blizzard.
Overwatch 2 has already brought several disadvantages for Blizzard:
Overwatch 2 was a bad idea from Blizzard and has killed a successful game
