Overwatch 2 is asking fans to dig fairly deep into their real-life pockets for its battle pass and cosmetics, and unsurprisingly, everyone's upset.
Folks have taken to the Overwatch subreddit to discuss they see as egregious battle pass prices, especially compared to the first game. "Guess I won’t be getting most of these skins unfortunately," reads one thread's top post, with almost 1,000 upvotes at the time of writing.
Overwatch 2's battle pass is priced at 1,000 Overwatch Coins, which will cost you about $10 USD. It also doesn't appear that you'll be able to earn that premium currency back by completing the battle pass, meaning you'll likely have to shell out another $10 for the next battle pass - that is, unless Blizzard reverses course. Meanwhile, Junker Queen's Legendary skin will run you another 2,000 Overwatch Coins, even though it's apparently discounted by 31%.
Naturally, all of this means Overwatch fans are waxing nostalgic for the first iteration of the shooter, which didn't lock any cosmetics behind a paywall. "No thanks, I’ll stick with my free skins from Overwatch 1," writes whyisnarutosolong.
these_bundle_prices_are_actually_wild_wtf from r/Overwatch
Of course, there's a key difference between Overwatch 1 and 2 that should take some of the sticker shock out of the sequel's monetization structure: Overwatch 2 is a free-to-play game while Overwatch 1 required an initial purchase for entry. Still, Overwatch 2's battle pass prices are on the high side even for a free-to-play game, so these disappointed reactions aren't unwarranted.
Despite this, GR's Alyssa Mercante wrote in her Overwatch 2 hands-on preview that the sequel "has the same great look and feel as its predecessor."
"Dive-bombing an enemy Bastion as D.Va is still super effective, and throwing an Orisa javelin through Sombra's gut is incredibly satisfying (especially since the latter is currently far too powerful). This is still a fun game, it's just fundamentally different. I suppose it's time I come to terms with that."
Read Mercante's heartfelt eulogy for the Overwatch she once knew.
