Overwatch 2 Season 15 has made a notable impact, sparking a positive shift in player sentiment for what was previously labeled as the worst user-reviewed game on Steam. Now, almost nine years after the original Overwatch debuted in 2016 and two-and-a-half years following the launch of Overwatch 2, the game is showing signs of recovery. In August 2023, Overwatch 2 hit rock bottom on Steam, primarily due to backlash against its monetization model. Blizzard faced heavy criticism for transitioning the premium original to a free-to-play sequel, which left the original Overwatch unplayable since 2022.
The sequel faced further challenges, including the cancellation of its much-anticipated PvE Hero mode, which many players believed was the key feature justifying the sequel's existence. Despite still holding a 'mostly negative' overall user review rating on Steam, recent reviews have improved to 'mixed,' with 43% of the 5,325 reviews in the last 30 days being positive. This shift, though modest, marks a significant milestone for Overwatch 2, which has been battling overwhelming negativity since its launch on Valve's platform.
The turnaround can be attributed to the launch of Season 15, which introduced substantial changes to the game. While the roadmap promises typical new content, the core gameplay has undergone a major overhaul, including the introduction of hero perks and the return of loot boxes.
Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots
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Positive feedback from recent reviews highlights the impact of these changes. One player noted, "They just released Overwatch 2. The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another review praised the game's direction, stating, "For once, I must come to Overwatch's defense and say they really have stepped up their game. 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 sentiment is likely influenced by the success of Marvel Rivals, a competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase that has garnered 40 million downloads since its December launch. In a recent GamesRadar interview, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller discussed the competitive landscape, acknowledging the presence of Marvel Rivals and its impact on Blizzard's approach. "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.
Despite the competition, Keller found the situation "exciting" and appreciated how Marvel Rivals took Overwatch's established ideas in a "different direction." He admitted that Marvel Rivals' success prompted a shift in Blizzard's strategy, stating, "this is no longer about playing it safe."
While it's premature to claim Overwatch 2's full recovery, the fluctuating Steam user reviews suggest that achieving a rating better than 'mixed' will be challenging. However, Season 15 has led to a significant increase in player numbers on Steam, with peak concurrent players nearly doubling to 60,000. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, where player numbers are not publicly disclosed.
For comparison, Marvel Rivals, which recently released a mid-season update, achieved a peak of 305,816 concurrent players on Steam in the last 24 hours.
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