The originalOverwatchgame had a unique monetization model at the time of its release. All the newOverwatchheroes and maps would be released completely free of charge, with players having the option to acquire additional cosmetics through loot boxes. Loot boxes weren’t all that controversial at the time, but in the years since, they have been called for being predatory, with some countries going as far as to ban them. It’s long been expected thatOverwatch 2wouldmove away from loot boxes, and that’s now been confirmed.
Blizzard has confirmed thatOverwatch 2will not have loot boxes.Overwatch 2will be completely free-to-play, with new heroes and maps given away for free to all players as well, but its making some big changes to its monetization. Instead of loot boxes,Overwatch 2will utilize a battle pass, with players able to purchase a new battle pass every season to get their hands on exclusive cosmetic content.Overwatch 2will also be introducing a store where players can buy new content directly instead of rolling the dice with loot boxes.
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This change will likely be well-received by the community. Ever since they were popularized byFortnite, battle passes have been an accepted form of monetization in many free-to-play games and online multiplayer titles, so it makes sense forOverwatch 2to go that route.
Along with confirming that loot boxes will not be inOverwatch 2, Blizzard also released a roadmap detailing its plans for the game at launch and in the months after. When theOverwatch 2early access release daterolls around on October 4, fans can also expect the start of Season 1. The roadmap doesn’t mention a battle pass untilOverwatch 2Season 2 starts on December 6, though, so it remains to be seen if one will be featured in Season 1 or not.
Blizzard will likely reveal more information on its plans forOverwatch 2battle passes ahead of launch. The months ahead should be full of big announcements forOverwatch 2fans to look forward to, as Blizzard has confirmed that anew Support herowill be revealed between now and October 4. The new Support hero will be one of three new heroes joining theOverwatch 2roster at launch, joined by the previously revealed Sojourn and Junker Queen.
Overwatch 2will be adding a new hero every other season, so Blizzard is definitely going all-in on the sequel and its new free-to-play model. The jury is still out on whether the effort will be worth it or not, but fans will find out later this year.
Overwatch 2is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
