Overwatch 2 is Getting Demolished by Steam Reviews
Overwatch 2 got its long-awaited release on Steam yesterday, and has been met with some of the most negative reviews of the year. With over 30,000 user opinions on Steam, a massive 87% have been critical of the game- leaving an overwhelmingly negative 13% rating. Bashing on Overwatch isn’t new since its 2.0 release last year which, if you ask some fans, actually removed a lot of what made the initial game so special and unique.
While the game is free, players can purchase the underwhelming ‘Invasion bundle’ which features the much-anticipated PvE mode that was stripped down from a full on story expansion. This itself is also sitting in the overwhelmingly negative category, which isn’t surprising considering the lack of support and several broken promises that Blizzard have offered since release. Many consider the Overwatch IP to be close to dead at this point in the eyes of public opinion, and Steam’s release has been a way for fans to vent their justified frustration.
Image by Activision-Blizzard
Looking into the reviews, its clear to see why players are so angry at the business model change for Overwatch, and how much of a downgrade the free-to-play Overwatch 2 is compared to the original. Steam user BRAY had the following to say:
“They released Overwatch 2 as a free to play business model, which leans more heavily into microtransactions, overpriced skins and predatory behaviour. To make matters worse, they shut down the first game, making it unplayable for people who purchased it, meaning the playerbase has to move over to this free to play business model to keep playing the game.”
Another Steam user, Spooks, echoes the fanbase’s outcry against the implications that the free-to-play systems create:
“I have over a 1,000 hours in this game, I've been playing it since it came out, but as soon as they re-branded to overwatch '2' all the changes and updates have been disliked by everyone. And its not 'free to play' - with each battle pass costing almost 10 pounds I've basically paid for overwatch 1 again already. This is a game that doesnt care about its players and is doing everything to milk money out of every little release of content.”
Image by Activision-Blizzard
With Overwatch 2, Activision-Blizzard lost a lot of goodwill, which has only gotten worse with predatory microtransactions and several reports of a hostile workplace for employees. It seems that the company doesn’t care about its employees or its players- which is why the anti-consumer practices that Overwatch 2 are pushing for are being so negatively received. Unfortunately, its unlikely that this will change any time soon. As long as the battle passes and skins make money, the business model will stay the same. No matter what Overwatch 2 comes out with, someone will buy it- and, unfortunately, there’s no changing that.
