As the early access release of Overwatch 2 draws near, a new look at the in-game shop and its associated costs has spilled out online. With individual skins running for almost $20 a piece, fans are furious over the price hike.
The multiplayer side of Overwatch is set to change forever come October 4. As Overwatch 2’s release date comes into focus, the original game will soon cease to exist as Blizzard erases the 2016 title and replaces it with the newly reworked sequel.
As part of this transition, fans can expect new systems, three heroes, an assortment of maps, along with a pivot to a free-to-play model. While some of the changes land more than others based on our initial time spent with the game, the jump from a premium release to a seasonal F2P structure has left many with a sense of concern.
Ahead of the game’s launch, popular Overwatch YouTuber Stylosa revealed an in-depth look at the sequel’s in-game store and the cosmetics within. For starters, players can now purchase individual skins using a premium currency known as ‘Overwatch Coins.’ These Coins are available in five different packages ranging from 500 at roughly $5 USD to 11,600 at roughly $100 USD.
For the price of 2,000 Coins, roughly $20 USD, individual bundles can be purchased. At launch, the store will seemingly provide three of these bundles before rotating out. Kiriko, Junker Queen, and Sojourn, the three new arrivals in Overwatch 2, all have ‘Legendary Offers’ in the store. What’s more, these bundles are all listed at “31% off” their usual price.
While these bundles contain five items each, the main draw is the Legendary skin featured up front. Unlike in the original game, there appears to be no other means of acquiring these particular skins. Buying them with in-game currency is the only way.
Given this news along with the price reveal in Stylosa’s video, a wave of backlash has swiftly ensued across social media, with fans lashing out at the prices for individual skins.
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“This makes me appreciate Overwatch 1’s cosmetic system all the more,” one player said on Reddit. “The worst that ever happened was missing a weekly challenge or being unlucky with drops, but pretty much everything was unlockable by playing and saving up coins.”
“This is so depressing,” another chimed in bluntly. “Activision milking their players dry. It’s disgusting.”
Moreover, players also noticed a price increase on Overwatch League skins in the new store. Now priced at 300 OWL Tokens, opposed to 200 in the original game, these cosmetics cost more than ever. Given there’s no bundle in which to purchase exactly 300, the cheapest option is the 400 OWL Token bundle at roughly $20 USD.
“I hate this so much,” one fan said in response to the change. “They’re not even trying to be subtle about their aggressive monetization.”
For the time being, it doesn’t appear any of the early backlash will amount to anything in time for launch. Overwatch 2 is on track to release on October 4 with the current microtransaction model in place. We’ll have to wait and see if Blizzard addresses the feedback after launch and looks to lower costs across the board.
