Overwatch 2’s Rocky Start on Steam: Negative Reviews Dominate After Launch
Overwatch 2 needs to change if it's ever going to climb out of this very deep hole
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Overwatch 2’s highly anticipated launch on Steam has been marred by a barrage of negative reviews, leaving the game with an “overwhelmingly negative” rating on the platform. Steam’s user reviews, with a mere 9% approval rating out of over 112,000 reviews, highlight the game’s poor reception in its early days on Valve’s storefront. Here’s the story of Overwatch 2’s rocky start on Steam.
Overwatch 2 may be dead before it really began
Players who are unhappy with the game mainly don’t like how the game makes money. Blizzard got a lot of criticism when they turned the old Overwatch game, which you had to pay for, into a new version that you can play for free, called Overwatch 2, in late 2022.
This move left the original game unplayable, a decision that continues to fuel resentment among the player base. You only need to look at the reviews to gain all the information you need.
Overwatch 2′s path has been riddled with controversies since its launch, including the abrupt cancellation of its eagerly anticipated PvE Hero mode, a feature that many believed justified the existence of the sequel. The frustrations culminated during the August 10th Steam launch, accompanied by the Invasion update, intended to expand Overwatch 2’s player base.
Despite breaking into Steam’s top five best-sellers by revenue and featuring a peak concurrent player count of 75,608, the game’s release has been bombed by negative feedback.
One particularly poignant review from a Steam user named Ignulis100 encapsulates the prevailing sentiment: “cheap paladins rip off.” Ouch.
The issues with Overwatch 2
Critics mainly have a problem with how Overwatch 2 is now free to play. They’re unhappy about how new heroes are added using a battle pass, the way the battle pass works, and how Blizzard has changed how cosmetic items are used. These changes are seen as bad departures from the original Overwatch.
The absence of the promised PvE hero mode continues to haunt the game’s reputation. While the Invasion update brought new story missions, players must shell out $15 for a dedicated bundle to access them. Many players have deemed this additional cost unjustifiable.
Blizzard seems to have made a critical blunder with Overwatch 2. We can only hope that it makes changes to the game based on fans’ recommendations. We have seen Fallout 76 rise from the smoldering ashes of the Steam Review section, so we know it can be done.
