- Overwatch 2 fan imagines extreme pay-to-win mechanics including bigger hitboxes and player debuffs.
- Blizzard’s seasonal approach adds Battle Pass and Shop items, causing debate on pay-to-win concerns.
- Concept by Reddit user showcases potential for paying players to gain significant advantages in-game.
An Overwatch 2 fan has made a video that imagines some egregious pay-to-win mechanics. Overwatch 2 has adopted more of a live-service model than its predecessor and this concept could be the logical conclusion of such changes.
When Overwatch 2 was released, it replaced its predecessor with a mixed response. Some fans wanted to maintain the ability to play both games, while others applauded the free nature of the sequel. Blizzard added to the seasonal approach that the original game had, offering a Battle Pass and additional Shop items for players to buy using Overwatch Coins. For a brief time, new characters were locked behind their seasonal Battle Pass, only allowing a portion of the community to play them. Though some gamers thought that this was a pay-to-win issue, another one has created a concept that would make paying players exponentially more powerful than ones that play for free.
Reddit user RuskiLynx recently shared a video that highlights potential pay-to-win ideas for Overwatch 2. The clip showcases Tracer in Training mode with massive hitboxes alongside text that indicates that players could get bigger enemy hitboxes for 2,900 Overwatch Coins. The video then pans to a menu similar to the Overwatch 2 Shop, but it includes items like a 20% DPS healing reduction for 3,900 Coins, and a bundle made to avoid the Push game mode. The standard Shop features Emotes, Skins, Weapon Charms, and more, but this concept shows how far into pay-to-win Blizzard could lean if it wanted to.
How Could Overwatch 2 Pay-To-Win Get Even Worse?
This concept includes Overwatch 2 Competitive Rank increases, a Sombra EMP that can target an enemy’s Wi-Fi, avoid slot tickets, and a Green Mercy. They are listed in a “for you” section that would likely automatically adjust to match each player’s needs. Avoid slots allow gamers to list certain players to avoid in matchmaking, and there have been Blizzard forum posts asking for an expansion to the system. Competitive Rank currently has to be improved by winning matches in the similarly named game mode, and a Sombra Wi-Fi EMP could be devastating to an enemy team. The Green Mercy appears to be more of a joke than a pay-to-win mechanic, showing RuskiLynx’s range of ideas.
Given that Overwatch 2 includes a Premium Battle Pass and tier skip options, there are some minimal ways in which gamers can outpace others. Players who abandon too many matches can already be hit by debuffs in ranked and unranked matches alike. This concept could be expanded to affect players who don’t participate in the pay-to-win mechanics illustrated by RuskiLynx. While Blizzard continues to update Overwatch 2, it’s unlikely that it will ever make such egregious pay-to-win offerings as the ones in this video.