Overwatch 2 Season 15 is making waves, significantly boosting the sentiment around a game that once held the dubious distinction of being the worst user-reviewed title on Steam. Launched in 2016, the original Overwatch has now been followed by Overwatch 2, which hit the market two-and-a-half years ago. In August 2023, Overwatch 2 faced intense scrutiny, earning the title of the worst-reviewed game on Steam primarily due to its controversial monetization strategies. This backlash stemmed from Blizzard's decision to transition the premium original game into a free-to-play sequel, which rendered the first Overwatch unplayable as of 2022.
The game faced further challenges with the cancellation of its highly anticipated PvE Hero mode, a feature many believed justified the sequel's existence. Despite these hurdles, Overwatch 2's overall user review rating on Steam remains 'mostly negative.' However, a recent shift in the last 30 days shows a glimmer of hope, with reviews now at 'mixed,' and 43% of the 5,325 user reviews being positive. This uptick is a notable achievement for a game that has been mired in negativity since its launch on Valve's platform.
The positive change can be attributed to the launch of Season 15, which introduced significant gameplay alterations. These include the addition of hero perks and the reintroduction of loot boxes, alongside a roadmap filled with new content. These changes have resonated well with the community, as evidenced by recent positive reviews. One user commented, "They just released Overwatch 2. The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another praised the game's direction, saying, "For once, I must come to Overwatch's defense and say they really have stepped up their game. Going back to what worked in Overwatch 1 while introducing new and fun mechanics to the game. A certain game made them LOCK IN and I couldn't be happier. Now we just gotta wait for next season with an actual cooler battlepass."
This positive feedback is partly influenced by the success of Marvel Rivals, a competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase that has garnered 40 million downloads since its December launch. In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the new competitive landscape, stating, "We're obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think, for Overwatch, we've never really been in before, to this extent where there's another game that's so similar to the one that we've created." Despite the competition, Keller found the situation "exciting" and appreciated how Marvel Rivals took Overwatch's established ideas in a "different direction."
Keller also admitted that Marvel Rivals' success prompted a shift in Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2, emphasizing that "this is no longer about playing it safe." While it's premature to claim Overwatch 2's full recovery, the game's Steam reviews suggest a challenging path ahead to surpass the 'mixed' rating. Nevertheless, Season 15 has led to a significant increase in player numbers on Steam, with peak concurrent players nearly doubling to 60,000. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, though player numbers for these platforms are not publicly disclosed.
For comparison, Marvel Rivals, which recently released a mid-season update, achieved a peak of 305,816 concurrent players on Steam in the last 24 hours.
Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots
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