In case you didn’t know, Blizzard is saying goodbye to loot boxes as soon as Overwatch 2 launches later this year. But, we can’t celebrate just yet. Blizzard’s most recent survey hints at a more aggressive pricing for Overwatch 2’s cosmetics as part of the company’s new monetization scheme.
Overwatch doesn’t let players buy credits directly. Instead, players will have to purchase loot boxes and pray for a direct Overwatch Credits drop or receive a duplicate skin.
However, come Overwatch 2, a lot of things will change. Although older credits and points will carry over to Overwatch 2, the sequel will have its own currency, presumably for cosmetics and the likes.
Because of this, and a recent survey, fans believe that Blizzard could start charging players directly to buy enough Virtual Currency to get cosmetics priced as high as $45.
Here’s the breakdown of Blizzard’s proposed pricing for Overwatch 2 skins:
- Mythic Skin – $44.99
- Legendary Skin Bundle (comes with weapon charm, player icon, victory pose, voice line, name card, and spray) – $29.99
- Legendary Skin – $24.99
- Emote Highlight Intro Souvenir – $19.99
- Weapon Char – $9.99
- 3 Sprays Bundle – $4.99
This kind of pricing scheme isn’t different from other free-to-play games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Fortnite, among others. The aforementioned shooters also have their own seasonal battle passes as well as an in-game store with cosmetics, among others. Even so, this kind of change still ruffled feathers within the Overwatch community.
Most are taking offense that Blizzard is turning Overwatch 2 into a generic shooter now that it’s gone free-to-play. One player even went as far as to say that they’d prefer to buy Overwatch 2 “instead of it being free to play with money grabs everywhere.”
For what it’s worth, the pricing isn’t final. According to IGN, a spokesperson for Overwatch reached out and had this to say about the pricing:
Prices displayed in the survey were randomized per user and are not indicative of final pricing. We plan to share details on our Shop and Battle Pass system closer to our Oct. 4 launch.
Overwatch came out over six years ago. A few months from now, the follow-up, Overwatch 2, will arrive as a free-to-play title with live-service elements. It’s a sign of the times that a company like Blizzard can’t help but follow the trend. But, while the new monetization route for Overwatch 2 is understandable, we’re still hoping Blizzard finds a way to strike a middle ground between profit without compromising the player experience.
