In anOverwatch 2Reveal Event on June 16, fans got various updates on the game’s progression. It seemsOverwatch 2is in full swing and ready to start churning out content for its player base with a set date for the next PvP beta, which will now include consoles such as Xbox, Playstation, and Switch, along with more details on the upcoming PvE storylines.
Both Game Director Aaron Keller and Production Director Paul Haile confirmed that Blizzard is ambitiously planning to release new content every nine weeks, along withthree newOverwatch 2heroesat the start. However, one of the more controversial topics, which was not fully detailed in the 40-minute live stream, was the official confirmation that battle passes would be coming to the game, beginning at the launch ofOverwatch 2Season 1.
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Battle Passes to Replace Loot Boxes
TheOverwatchcommunity has suffered from a lack of updates and new skins for the past few years, but the addition of battle passes in place of loot boxes could be a place to start, in terms of offering players more consistent content. The game developers confirmed in the live stream that the sequel will be entirely free-to-play, meaning thatOverwatch 2’s monetization system will rely more heavily on in-game purchases.
The addition of battle passes comes with several positives and negatives, and at the moment what exactly this means for the game has been speculated about a lot. Keller stated that the planned updates and battle passes are meant to ensure “that there’s always something new to play, chase, and unlock” for users. Having a goal to reach by the end of every season with rewards attached can be a good incentive for many players.
The current system ofOverwatchloot boxesoften gives long-time players duplicate items, voice lines, emotes, and skins, as it truly is a system of luck. In a battle pass, they’ll have better control over what they earn. On the other hand, those that play the game regularly likely already have enough credits stored up to buy almost any item they want.
Battle Passes Are Optional
There will be a free and paid premium track of the battle pass like in many other live-service games. The premium track will likely give people more or better cosmetics and rewards than the free track,similar to games likeApex LegendsandCall of Duty: Warzone.
Epic Games’Fortniteand its peers have been blamed for introducing the meta of free-to-play games with in-game transactions that are almost the only way to gain any good loot. Many people believe that microtransactions ruin what makes games enjoyable.Overwatchwas often highly lauded for how many skins and rewards one could earn after the one-time purchase of the game, excluding purchases of outliers like charityand Overwatch League skins.
How Overwatch 2 Can Keep Battle Passes Viable
If this battle pass plans to take afterFortniteorHalo Infinite Season 2, then the developers should make it possible to purchase one battle pass and simply use the earned premium in-game credits to claim the ones after without the use of real-world money. This way, those that want the premium track can avoid recurring purchases, and those that are ready to drop a little more cash for a legendary or premium skin can still do so.
Furthermore, if Blizzard wants to avoid FOMO for their player base, it could take once again borrow fromHalo Infiniteand maintain battle passes, so they will not expire and are interchangeable. However, if possible,Overwatch 2should avoid filling its battle pass with items that seem to exist as placeholders and give their players rewards they would actually want, focusing on quality over quantity.
It’s a sad reality that the firstOverwatchwas seemingly dropped in terms of updates, seeing asthe newest hero, Echo, is more than two years old. If nothing else, the best part of having a battle pass inOverwatch 2could be that Blizzard has a clear and consistent timeline in terms of when it should be putting out new content.
Overwatch 2will be available in early access on October 4 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
