At BlizzCon, it was revealed that Overwatch will not be a free-to-play title – but what were they thinking?
Why is Overwatch a full-price title?
At BlizzCon last weekend, there were many new pieces of information about Overwatch, including the business model that will be pursued with Blizzard’s first shooter. Many players assumed in advance that it would be a free-to-play game (even though Blizzard never claimed that). It has now been confirmed that the shooter will be released as a full-price title – €40 for the standard version and €60 for the Origins version with additional skins. But what is the reasoning behind this decision?
Restrictions would be terrible
Overwatch differs from other games in that players can constantly switch their characters during a match. Is your team struggling because of the chosen heroes? No problem! Just swap out at the next death. This feature has become a core component of Overwatch.
If individual heroes were hidden behind paywalls and sold individually – as in Heroes of the Storm – the enjoyment of the game would automatically decrease for those players who do not have access to all heroes. “We want players to always have multiple options to choose from and not just be limited to, for example, one tank, one supporter, and one ranged character.”
The Future – Paid DLCs?
Completely uncertain, however, is the future of Overwatch after the release. It has not yet been decided if there will be further heroes and if so, how they will be implemented into the game. “Currently, we are fully focused on the 21 heroes that will be available at launch,” said Jeff Kaplan. “Some players fear that there will be the 21 heroes at launch and then more available in a shop. That is definitely not the case.”
While this does not categorically exclude hero DLCs, Blizzard will likely be very cautious and consider carefully what benefits the game – and only after their own statement once the existing heroes have successfully survived the launch and the feedback from the player community comes in.
For more information from BlizzCon, such as about the three new heroes, you can find it on our Overwatch theme page.
