There is no doubt that Blizzard isn’t what it used to be and its recent release Overwatch 2 is not even a shadow of its predecessor. Ever since its release, it has garnered massive negative reviews from the franchise’s fans, who were expecting it to be at par with its predecessor. I don’t know how it is still out there on Steam with only a 2/10 rating.
Key Takeaways
- Overwatch 2’s PvE mode, introduced to expand the game’s universe and attract new players, has been completely removed due to poor sales.
- Blizzard’s monetization strategies for PvE, including high-priced skins and battle passes, played a significant role in its failure.
- The removal of PvE allows Blizzard to focus on Overwatch’s core strength: competitive multiplayer, which remains popular among experienced fans.
- Even though Hero mode is canceled, Blizzard will continue to release story missions and seasonal updates, reallocating resources to improve these aspects. It could prove to be its way out of trouble.
However, the talk of the town right now is the complete removal of PvE mode from it. The justification that poor sales compelled them to do so is very understandable considering its disappointing performance. While most competitive fans wouldn’t care, many players, including me, find this rather interesting.
You see players like me who aren’t very good with the competitive PvP mode were happy when Blizzard announced Overwatch 2 with a PvE mode in 2019. Even with Blizzard delaying its release and taking U-turns on many promised features, fans were pretty excited. So you can imagine how much-disappointed fans are with the game.
What went wrong with the game? Well, that’s a topic for another day. Right now I will talk about the PvE mode and how its removal is going to effect the game’s popularity.
The Initial Introduction Of PvE Mode In Overwatch 2
With the success of event-limited PvE modes in Overwatch 1, introducing it as a highlight feature in the sequel was obvious. More than that, it was meant to delve deeper into the backstories of characters like Tracer, Genji, and Reinhardt. Unlike the PvP mode, PvE was meant to offer story-driven missions and give life to the storyline.
With Blizzard trying to change their direction, the idea was to not only expand the game’s universe but also attract new players by giving them a story and allowing them to develop their favorite heroes through RPG-like progression systems. It was a good addition, to be honest.
However, the first step towards making it a failure was to monetize it in not-so-favorable ways. I will talk about it in detail. Another issue, in the words of Game Director Aaron Keller, was they were doing so many things at a time and lost the focus.
Role Of Microtransactions In Its Failure
I am particularly against microtransactions and I have openly talked about it multiple times. Blizzard monetized the PvE content through a combination of in-game purchases and battle passes. Well, it would have worked if the prices were affordable. But I guess Blizzard got greedy with it.
A single legendary skin could cost around 1,900 Overwatch Coins, equivalent to approximately $19.99 in real-world currency. I mean charging full game price for a single skin? The whole monetization model was meant to doom.
How Will It Change The Game?
While I think PvE was a good option for attracting new players and giving a narrative-based gameplay, I think the decision to remove it will ultimately prove beneficial for the franchise.
You see, the Overwatch series is predominantly PvP focused and it is intended to be so. Experienced fans who are more in competitive mode have little to no complaints about the game. They are still playing it and loving it. That’s one reason that even after so much criticism, Overwatch 2 has been able to provide a turnover of over 250 million dollars.
I know it is considerably less than its prequel and I believe PvE was their chance to make it to the top. Now that they have missed the opportunity, they can focus on what has always been the core strength of Overwatch – its competitive multiplayer experience.
As the report from Bloomberg suggests, Blizzard is already onto it. Hopefully, it can work out to be their turning point. Similarly, introducing features like skill-based matchmaking and tiered ranking rewards can promote the competitive aspect of the game in a better way.
Blizzard has a track record of supporting their games long-term, as seen with the original Overwatch, which received regular updates and seasonal events well beyond its initial release. If Overwatch 2 can maintain a similar level of support and innovation, it can survive the absence of PvE content.
Additionally, Blizzard has clarified that while the dedicated PvE mode has been canceled, story missions will still be a part of Overwatch 2. Seasonal updates with new characters, and story missions will certainly be improved now that more resources will be allocated to it. Similarly, they have also promised better co-op content.
Seems like they have found a way out of their downfall but how will they fulfill their promises this time? Well, we’ll have to wait for that. In doing so, we can also hope for the reversal of decision over time as anything is possible in the gaming industry.
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I have been into gaming since my childhood and have been writing about it for three years now. Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies side-by-side, I spend lots of time reading books, learning new skills, playing chess, working out, and engaging in Reddit threads related to gaming.
