Overwatch 2 developer Blizzard Entertainment is “actively working towards” giving away new heroes to all players, not just those who buy a premium battle pass.
Speaking on the Group Up Podcast, Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss teased the major change to the game’s monetisation model, which currently only allows new heroes to be acquired instantly if players buy the premium battle pass at 1,000 Overwatch Coins, which costs $10.
“Would I like for every single player to be able to experience a hero the day that a season drops? Yes,” Neuss said. “Do I think that we will get there. Yes, I do think that we will get there and we’re actively working towards it right now. Can I talk about the details? No, I can’t.”
Blizzard does give away new heroes for free currently through its basic battle pass, but only once players have worked through 45 tiers of it by playing matches and completing challenges. As new heroes are arguably the most exciting aspect of Overwatch 2 (a hero shooter), Blizzard limiting their access is a common fan complaint.
The previous new hero, Mauga, was released on December 5 as Overwatch’s first Samoan hero. As a heavy assault character, Mauga wields a number of heavy artillery weapons like the incendiary chain gun and the volatile chain gun (which he has lovingly nicknamed Gunny and Cha Cha).
Monetisation has been a controversial topic within Overwatch 2 since its launch in October 2022, highlighted by its Steam release seeing the game plummet to the platform’s worst reviewed game of all time. Users described Overwatch 2 as “an attempt to pry open your wallet while masquerading as the game it used to be.”
Blizzard was also heavily criticised when Overwatch 2 launched as it forced its premium predecessor to update into a free-to-play sequel, rendering the original Overwatch unplayable. Since then, Overwatch 2 has endured a number of controversies including the cancellation of its long-awaited PvE Hero mode — the one feature, players said, that justified the sequel’s existence.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.