Summary
Despite seemingly getting things back on track, withOverwatch 2players praising the game for its steady cadence of content and some excellent balancing in recent seasons, a new controversy has been sparked by the Winter Wonderland event. While a quick glance at what the event has to offer may see players assuming that the problem is a lack of new LTMs, as the same brawls from the last several years are offered, this is a much smaller issue than the problem players have with theWinter Fair event pass. However, even with the backlash, there is a good chance that event passes are here to stay.
From Blizzard’s perspective, it seems like the event pass was meant to be a gift to players, as it allows non-paying users to get one of three outfits for free and paid players to get several skins for just $5. However, a closer look at the newOverwatch 2event pass has allowed players to poke holes in Blizzard’s logic, as the pass offers one non-Christmas skin, two recolors, and only two truly new outfits. Even more problematic is that those who pay for the premium pass cannot even obtain every single item that will be on offer, as there are more items in the shop than earnable tickets - a problem that Blizzard will hopefully address if the event passes become permanent, something that feels like a legitimate possibility.
Overwatch 2’s Winter Fair Event Pass May Be The First of Many
If Improved, Overwatch 2’s Event Passes Could Be a Positive
As shown in a recent social media post fromOverwatch 2Executive Producer Jared Neuss, the Winter Fair Pass was meant to be a gesture of kindness on Blizzard’s part, but the decision to “give folks choice in the rewards” they received from the event instead resulted in fear of missing out. With FOMO being a regular occurrence in live service games, this is a legitimate fear, and Neuss has said that himself and theOverwatch 2team will be watching reactions to see if FOMO outweighs the number of items players can unlock via the event pass.
Overwatch 2creating and introducing an entire event pass system for a single event seems unlikely, even if this first attempt has proven controversial. As such, some if not all events within the free-to-play hero shooter could start featuring event passes, withBlizzardsimply trying to address the feedback with the next attempt at something comparable to Winter Fair. The community’s two main complaints seem to be that the premium pass does not include everything from the event (players need to buy an extra expensive shop bundle for the tickets required to do so) and that multiple recolors are featured. Less recolors in event passes and giving the premium pass enough tickets for everything could lead to a winning system for Blizzard.
Destiny 2, another live service game, offers event passes with their own pros and cons. On the downside, the event pass is $5 more than that ofOverwatch 2, but a big plus is that players instantly unlock some items and get everything else in the pass if they finish all the event challenges.
Why Overwatch 2 Embracing Event Passes Could Be Concerning
However, even thoughOverwatch 2’s event pass system has potential, it is also a bit concerning. With the future ofOverwatch 2’s events unclear, there is a chance that event passes become the only way that Blizzard tries to keep them fresh going forward, with no more new brawls coming for older events. Alternatively, perhaps event passes will be used exclusively for events like Winter Wonderland where Blizzard feels there are enough brawls. Still, with creativemodes like Trials of Sanctuary, Battle for Olympus, and Mischief and Magic released over the last year, it seems like Blizzard still has plenty of good ideas for event modes. Hopefully, event passes do not replace new brawls, as a combination of passes and fresh LTMs could make everyOverwatch 2event better.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
