Overwatch 2 Season 15 has sparked a notable shift in player sentiment, marking a significant improvement from what was once the most negatively reviewed game on Steam. Launched nearly nine years after the original Overwatch debuted in 2016, and two-and-a-half years following Overwatch 2's launch, the game faced intense scrutiny in August 2023, becoming the worst user-reviewed game on Steam. The primary criticism centered around its monetization strategies, particularly after Blizzard transitioned the premium Overwatch into a free-to-play sequel, rendering the original unplayable in 2022. Additionally, the cancellation of the much-anticipated PvE Hero mode further fueled discontent, as it was seen as a key justification for the sequel's existence.
Despite retaining a 'mostly negative' overall rating on Steam, recent reviews for Overwatch 2 have improved to 'mixed,' with 43% of the 5,325 reviews in the last 30 days being positive. This shift is attributed to the launch of Season 15, which introduced significant changes to the game's core mechanics, including hero perks and the reintroduction of loot boxes. These updates are seen as a return to the elements that made the original Overwatch successful, while also adding new, engaging features.
Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots
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Positive reviews highlight the recent changes as a step in the right direction. "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way," one user stated. Another praised the game's evolution, saying, "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 refers to the influence of Marvel Rivals, a competing hero shooter from NetEase that has seen 40 million downloads since its December launch.
In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the competitive landscape introduced by Marvel Rivals, describing it as "exciting" and beneficial for pushing Overwatch 2 to innovate. "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," Keller remarked. He emphasized that Marvel Rivals taking Overwatch's ideas in a different direction is "really great" and has spurred Blizzard to adopt a less cautious approach to Overwatch 2's development.
While it's premature to declare Overwatch 2's complete turnaround, Season 15 has certainly boosted player numbers on Steam, with peak concurrent players nearly doubling to 60,000. However, it remains challenging for the game to move beyond a 'mixed' rating on Steam, given the ongoing push and pull in user reviews. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, where player numbers are not publicly disclosed. In contrast, Marvel Rivals recently achieved a peak of 305,816 concurrent players on Steam over the last 24 hours.
