It seems that gaming studio, Blizzard Entertainment, is taking a new approach to micro transactions. Blizzard made an announcement regarding Overwatch 2, which is set to release in October, which will be a big change to the game. They plan on completely removing loot boxes. But how would this affect the game?
During a recent Overwatch 2 press roundtable, the developer told the press that there wouldn’t be loot boxes appearing in the new game. Instead, there will be an in-game shop where players can choose to purchase cosmetic items.
However, the developers haven’t completely nailed down exactly how this microtransaction system will work. This is worrying as they’ve used a microtransaction system in their latest release of Diablo Immortal, which had fans very upset. We hope they learn from this experience and decide on a better system for players.
Despite the lack of a clear picture of how the Overwatch 2 free-to-play model will work, developers have assured us that they agree that the model has to be fair to all players and feel generous to keep players coming back.
While the removal of loot boxes will be a big change for the game, it’s important to note that loot boxes are falling out of fashion in most competitive multiplayer shooters. Despite being popular in the past, most of the games with a similar style have already completely moved away from loot boxes. Fortnite’s Battle Royal mode has never included loot boxes, nor has Call of Duty: Warzone.
Blizzard appears to be following in those footsteps and pivoting Overwatch 2’s free-to-play model supported primarily by a battle pass. These nine-week rolling passes will include character skins, weapon charms, and new voice lines all through a free and premium progression track.
We look forward to learning more about how these microtransaction systems will work and hope they’ll learn from the mistakes in Diablo Immortal and not repeat them.
