Blizzard launched Overwatch 2 on Steam at the start of Season 6, and it’s safe to say things aren’t going well for it. In less than a week, Overwatch 2 became one of the least popular games on Steam, with over 100,000 reviews that are “overwhelmingly negative,” a level of intensity you don’t often see on the platform.
“I have over 300 hours in Battle.net,” one user commented. “I loved Overwatch. I think I still do love Overwatch 1, the game I purchased, which I’m no longer able to play. Blizzard stole my copy of Overwatch 1 and replaced it with an altogether inferior product; from its gameplay, to its balancing, to its microtransactions, to its broken promises and outright lies.”
“Outright lies” is perhaps a slightly unfair take on Blizzard’s – admittedly sudden – change of plans for Overwatch 2’s PvE, though when Overwatch 2 launched, the studio did completely revoke access to the original Overwatch and replaced it with a very different game.
“To me, OW2 represents everything wrong with the industry and Activition-Blizzard-King,” another user said. “And that’s without taking into account the fact that the changes for OW2, including the removal of a tank role as well as the rework of a few characters, destroyed what I enjoyed about the original game.”
While this one didn’t actually say what they believe is wrong with the industry, most of the other reviews fill in the gaps. One of the recurring complaints is about the expensive microtransactions in the multiplayer game, where a character skin can cost as much as a new game, depending on which one you get. The original Overwatch used the controversial loot box system, where you didn’t pay outright for a skin – but you paid for the coins to use on boxes that may or may not have a cosmetic you wanted.
Essentially, Overwatch fans are using Steam reviews as a way to express their displeasure with the game in lieu of any official channels for feedback that they can direct their complaints to Blizzard through.
Niko Partners director of research and insight Daniel Ahmad said a substantial number of Chinese reviewers are using Overwatch 2 reviews on Steam for the same reason. They have no way to communicate their anger and displeasure after Blizzard and NetEase shut the game down in China earlier in 2023, so Steam reviews are the method of choice.
Blizzard hasn’t acknowledged the Steam review situation or offered a roadmap for the game’s future that might address some fans’ concerns.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
