Overwatch 2 is in a tough spot as Blizzard prepares for one among its greatest content material drops but subsequent month. After a set of dangerous information since its October 2022 launch, together with the gutting of PvE content material and charging $15 for story missions, Overwatch 2’s engagement and cash funding has declined—regardless of the promise of extra content material on the horizon.
Information of this comes from Activision Blizzard’s newest earnings report (thanks, IGN), which says that folks aren’t enjoying the sport or spending cash in its retailer like they had been at launch, however the group is hoping that adjustments with Season 6’s massive content material drop on August 10.
“Whereas engagement and participant funding in Overwatch 2 declined sequentially within the quarter, the Overwatch group is wanting ahead to the August 10 launch of Overwatch 2: Invasion. This would be the largest seasonal replace but, deliberate to incorporate new PVE Story Missions, a brand new sport mode, and a brand new hero development system in addition to an extra hero.”
Decline in participant engagement is pure for many video games, even fashionable ones like PUBG. You get lots of people enjoying at launch, then the sickos are those that stick round lengthy after. However even when a decline in engagement is regular, Overwatch 2 nonetheless appears to be struggling proper now. Whereas the core sport continues to be sturdy, every thing that surrounds it has been annoying at greatest and intensely worrisome at worst. Since launch, gamers have taken challenge with the grindy battle cross mannequin changing loot packing containers, costly beauty gadgets, and new heroes locked behind the battle cross. And up to date seasonal occasions haven’t felt substantial sufficient to maintain of us round.
These are simply points throughout the sport—outdoors of it, Activision Blizzard is shedding folks within the Overwatch League, and it seems like the sport’s esports division could also be in bother.
As a result of I’m a clown, I nonetheless play Overwatch 2 nearly every day, have accomplished each battle cross in every season, and even final evening I caved and acquired the $20 Lifeweaver Cleric pores and skin. However I’d be mendacity if I mentioned my enthusiasm for the sport hadn’t dropped off considerably in current months. Which is wild to say, as a result of between Overwatch 2’s launch and Lifeweaver’s announcement, I used to be in all probability essentially the most enthralled by the sport I’d been in years. Hell, it would’ve had some points, however the Pleasure occasion was additionally an instance of the clear love Blizzard’s group has for this sport. It simply feels prefer it’s been marred by plenty of dangerous enterprise selections the group continues to be struggling to unravel.
What will likely be attention-grabbing to see is how Overwatch 2’s participant rely adjustments when the sport involves Steam on August 10. For a very long time, Overwatch 2’s PC participant numbers have been obfuscated by its singular availability on Battle.internet, which doesn’t reveal participant rely. Evaluate this to Steam, which reveals concurrent participant numbers, and we’d get extra sense of what the neighborhood seems like. This can, in fact, not account for Battle.internet gamers or these on console, however it will likely be some context for what Overwatch 2 participant engagement really seems like 9 months after launch.
Leave a Reply