Overwatch wanted to put characters in loot boxes – at least according to the “business people.”
Overwatch is now considered the prime example of a full-priced title that is still allowed to offer loot boxes and is widely accepted by players. The reason is that the loot boxes in Overwatch only contain cosmetic items. Additionally, there is a loot box every few matches without the use of real money. Thus, the balance between gameplay effort and loot boxes as rewards is acceptable in the eyes of many players.
However, it seems that this was not always the plan. TotalBiscuit, a YouTuber known for his videos on various games and his tough analyses, has been in contact with some developers. Although he does not want to reveal his source, he states that “someone from Blizzard” told him that they were considering putting characters in loot boxes back then.
Developers prevailed
According to TotalBiscuit, the developers even had to stand up against the “business people” from Blizzard to prevent this scenario.
Supposedly, Blizzard was worried that Overwatch “would run out of money” and therefore needed to make the loot boxes more attractive – putting characters in loot boxes would have been a solid option.
Fortunately, this never happened, as the developers were able to prevail. The possibility of not being able to switch to any character at any time would have certainly made Overwatch a completely different game – one where eSports would not have seemed possible.
Would you have played Overwatch if characters could be obtained in loot boxes? Or would that have been a clear deal-breaker for you?
