For its arrival on Steam, Blizzard’s FPS is accompanied by a torrent of hatred, witness to the fed up of the players.
It only took a few hours forOverwatch 2 become the laughingstock of Steam. Freshly landed on the Valve store, the cult FPS has drawn the wrath of players before landing at its lowest. A major review bombing propelled the title to the rank of worst game of all time for the platform, joining the first level of the famous Hall of Shame. At the time of these lines, Overwatch 2 accumulate no less than 118,347 reviews, of which only 9% are positive (i.e. barely more than 1000 satisfied players). How can this unprecedented situation be explained?
As always, review bombing takes place when an unsatisfied community decides to send a message to the developers. This widely criticized practice is regularly associated with movements of hatred, not reflecting the true quality of the game. It is above all a question of anger aimed at damaging the reputation of a title. In the case of’Overwatch 2this sudden movement on the part of players comes in response to the launch of the update Invasionsigning the end of the early access of the FPS.
Almost a year after its release, this sequel to the team-based shooter remains largely controversial among gamers. Change in the economic system and broken promises have prompted the community to give its opinion on the only download platform that freely authorizes this practice.
Overwatch is no more
The Steam store comes with an extremely free and comprehensive rating system, allowing players to give their opinion on the video game productions of their choice. Widely featured scores on game pages provide a quick glance at product quality for potential buyers. This functionality, which is much more advanced than on console or other sales platforms, is widely acclaimed by PC gamers who are then able to make purchases with confidence.
Only, this guarantee of quality can also turn against productions that are not up to par. These will therefore rarely make the front page of the store, eventually being forgotten. This is what they hoped to do to Overwatch 2 unhappy FPS gamers. “Welcome to Steam, Blizzard. Here are the honest reviews” chants an English-speaking user in his negative comment. The French players go there for their “We don’t forget” or “Meet Us Overwatch 1“.
At the heart of the more exhaustive comments are the famous live service system, micro transactions and the abandonment of part of the initial PvE. Now thatOverwatch 2 leaving its early access, the game has slowly been enhanced with substantial content over the past few months. Push and Flashpoint modes are both accessible completely free of charge. But after several months of tedious battle pass to unlock the latest heroes added, the monetization of a fragmented PvE comes to overflow a vase already too full for the players.
Overwatch is no longer a pay to play title: the FPS follows all of its competitors to become an evolving live service title funded by in-game purchases. This is the reality of the online gaming industry in 2023. The anger of the players is nevertheless understandable and this historic record of negative opinions may motivate Blizzard to reconsider some of its choices. Case to follow.
