Blizzard has revealed big changes to Overwatch 2, changes from how the game has been operating from the very beginning.
In a new Developer Update video, they explain that from Season 10 onwards, all the hero characters will be available to play, for free. From the start of the franchise, some Overwatch heroes have been placed behind some paywall of some sort, whether it’s paying for the game on retail, or paying for individual characters after the title went free-to-play.
This coincides with the launch of their next upcoming Hero, Venture. But if you always had an eye out for any of the older heroes who you hadn’t paid for yet, now you can just play them as is.
Alongside this, Blizzard has revealed that they are launching a Mythic shop, for players to buy any of the older Mythics that they missed out on when they were originally released. Blizzard will reveal more details on this shop later.
So without saying so directly, it certainly looks Blizzard’s new monetization plan is shifting from a hero character paywall, to the Mythic skins themselves. This is speculation on our part, but we think it’s possible Blizzard is taking a page from Hoyoverse’s banner events in Genshin Impact as inspiration for how they monetize Mythics.
Blizzard also talked up plans to refine systems for the competitive component, with a huge emphasis on balance changes, and doing so regularly. Taking it all in, it does seem that they want players to find that their favorite characters will be competitive in the meta, even if they currently aren’t.
For the maps, they will launch Runasapi. Runasapi is in Peru and will give players a sneak peek at the not-quite-ready-for-primetime Illari, as well as the other Solar Warriors. They’re also launching a new mode, Clash, with a limited time Clash event at Hanaoka when Season 10 launches.
Blizzard has taken in feedback about reworking maps, and plan to dedicate a new season just for that. They already plan to revamp Colosseo for Season 11. Lastly, Blizzard promises another update just before Season 10’s launch, seemingly dedicated to player moderation, including player anonymity.
It certainly feels easy to forget, in spite of the bad press surrounding Overwatch 2, it still is very much a successful live service game right now, with an active, if vocal, community. Whatever happens to PvE, the Overwatch team still has enough going on to keep players online and playing.
You can watch Blizzard’s update video below.
