Overwatch 2 ‘s first seasonal event is here, and the controversy around the economic model is once again reignited. Like many service games, Blizzard’s FPS launched its Halloween vent and new outfits and other cosmetic items with it. The problem is that they are all available in the OW 2 store and their price is giving players gagging.
The Halloween event and its overpriced skins
From October 25 to November 8, Overwatch 2’s 25 million players can get a taste of PVE with the Halloween event. No more lootboxes to try and win new outfits, nothing in the Battle Pass, everything is happening in the store much to the dismay of fans. Everything is bought with Overwatch coins, a new in-game currency that is terribly difficult to obtain without putting your hand in your wallet. This new process scandalizes the players on two points: the price and the impossibility of buying an outfit individually.
Take the example of the star: Kiriko. His Halloween skin can indeed only be obtained via a monetized pack of 2600 coins or around 26 euros. Can’t get it any other way or individually, and yet the pack is currently “on sale” and would cost 3700 OW Coins otherwise. “ I would have a lot less trouble monetizing Overwatch 2 if all outfits could be purchased separately for 1900 coins. This is only the case for some. With this Kiriko skin stuck in a $26 bundle, I know what they’re doing and why,” a player explains.
Overwatch 2’s business model is problematic
As some fans point out, Blizzard’s pricing seems “disconnected from Overwatch 2” and its free-to-play model. “ You would make a lot more money by making skins available for individual purchase,” says one fan frustrated at having to pay more than necessary. Other diehards complain about the lack of quality content obtainable for free and therefore about the interest of playing during seasonal events.
Overwatch 1 and its lootbox system allowed you to win a plethora of content just by playing. It was random, sure, but it drove players to try out the Halloween event and rewarded them in a way that fans thought was more generous. “ Why not have an event-based Battle Pass? asks another person. Paid or free, it would indeed make it possible to obtain more content in a healthier way.
We knew that the change in economic model was bound to be accompanied by microtransactions, but none of the veterans of the game could imagine that Blizzard would push them so much towards the purchase. It is recalled that a calculation has for example shown that it would take three centuries to hope to unlock the content of the first game. It will now also be necessary to take into account the seasonal skins and their prices in bundles which sting.