‘Because of this shift in design approach to heroes, we believe that launching new Overwatch 2 heroes through the Battle Pass system is fair to our players, respects the competitive nature of the game, and aligns with our goal of supporting Overwatch 2 as a live service moving forward.’
Sorry, this statement is just hard to believe. I can’t seriously believe you think sticking the free hero option that far into the grind of the battle pass is okay on any level. This isn’t respecting your player base, this isn’t respecting how your game is designed on a fundamental level. I know there are hero changes but counter-picks are still a thing.
You can’t just say ‘But you can play something inferior’ and act like it is fair as an option. It’s not, you know it’s not, and you are lying to your players when you say a statement like this. Barring the competitive nature of the game, it’s fun to play the new heroes. People should be allowed to have fun without restrictions.
And then the decisions to have the heroes unlocked later through money or ‘challenges’ is ridiculous. Once a season ends, the hero should unlock for everyone freely.
Tier 55, do you think making new players grind to tier 55 is reasonable? Do you not want new players in your game? Hey, that fox girl hero we are advertising to you, you think she looks cool and fun to play? Too bad you can’t play her in the most popular modes until you spend a lot of time on other heroes.
Heroes should be unlocked right away whether you are free or not, it’s that simple. Keep the cool cosmetics on the pass/store and the game will be fine. How games haven’t learned to not give players a competitive edge for money is beyond me at this point. I know it works for you monetarily but it makes your game worse. It drives players away in the long run and doesn’t entice them to actually spend money from playing. You get a quick burst of cash and not a long-term investment.
Just pure corporate greed ruining the devs hard work. I am excited to actually play Overwatch 2, I am excited to see those amazing skins and the new maps in-game, I want to enjoy this game but it’s harder to do when decisions like this get made. You put a lot of love and care into the game and it means nothing if people can’t adequately experience it.