Blizzard Leisure launched its first sport on Steam on Thursday, bringing Overwatch 2 to Valve’s storefront. On day one, the sport drew a large viewers, peaking at greater than 75,000 gamers. Not fairly Baldur’s Gate 3 numbers, however excessive sufficient to rank it within the prime 15 video games performed on Steam up to now 24 hours.
Overwatch 2 additionally managed to crack the highest sellers record on Steam. Blizzard is presently promoting a number of content material bundles for the sport, together with paid entry to new PvE story missions ($14.99) and a pair of hero bundles starting from $4.99 to $19.99.
Steam customers additionally confirmed up in droves to evaluate the sport, with the overwhelming majority of customers writing destructive opinions. On Friday morning, greater than 45,000 Steam customers have rated the sport, saddling Overwatch 2 with an “overwhelmingly negative” user review description. Lots of the complaints are acquainted, slamming Blizzard and its debut Steam sport for its free-to-play monetization techniques, sport steadiness, a scarcity of promised PvE content material, and a poisonous participant base. Some reviewers say they’ve been enjoying since Overwatch’s launch in 2016, they usually merely confirmed as much as lament the sequel’s adjustments.
“Welcome to Steam, Blizzard,” summed up one person. “Listed below are all of the trustworthy opinions.”
Unfavourable sentiment towards Overwatch 2 and Blizzard as a company entity controlling the sport’s ongoing growth aren’t new, however Overwatch 2’s contemporary availability on Steam surfaces that negativity for all to see. There’s no equivalent user review section on Battle.net; disgruntled Overwatch followers want to go over to that platform’s boards or Blizzard’s social media channels to vent their spleens.
Blizzard appears keen to deal with some person complaints. It’s been as vocal as ever in speaking adjustments to heroes and their skills. It additionally has a program known as “Protection Matrix” that’s ostensibly geared toward curbing toxicity — although I nonetheless far too ceaselessly see racial and homophobic slurs in Overwatch 2 chat, and barely do I get affirmation that any motion has been taken towards these gamers. Moreover, Blizzard is just barely beginning to budge on the way it monetizes Overwatch 2. The developer not too long ago began handing out extra in-game forex, although not the premium forex (Overwatch Cash) that’s required for premium skins and the sport’s seasonal battle passes.
“It’s our aim at Blizzard to take heed to gamers and attempt to exceed their expectations in every part we do,” Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Leisure, not too long ago stated when saying that the corporate was bringing its video games to Steam. Based mostly on the destructive outpouring of opinions by Steam customers, it hasn’t but executed that and will look to its free-to-play friends, just like the highly user-reviewed Apex Legends, for inspiration on the best way to therapeutic massage Overwatch 2’s monetization.
It also needs to brace for extra harsh, usually painfully trustworthy person opinions because it brings extra of the Blizzard sport catalog to Steam.