Overwatch 2 Steam launch draws ‘overwhelmingly negative’ reviews

Blizzard Entertainment has released their first game for Steam, on Thursday. Overwatch 2 to Valve’s storefront. The game attracted a large audience on day one. It peaked with more than 75,000 users. Not quite Baldur’s Gate 3Numbers are not high, but it is enough for the game to be ranked among the 15 most played games on Steam over the last 24 hours.

Overwatch 2Steam also made it to the top seller’s list. Blizzard currently sells multiple content packages for the game. These include paid access to PvE stories missions ($14.99), and two hero bundles that range from $4.99 up to $19.99.

Steam users were also in great numbers to give their reviews, the overwhelming majority being negative. Over 45,000 Steam users rated the title on Friday, saddle Overwatch 2 with an “overwhelmingly negative” user review description. The complaints have been repeated over and over again. They include criticisms of Blizzard’s free-to play monetization, the game balance, lack of PvE, toxic players, and game balance. Some reviewers say they’ve been playing since Overwatch’s launch in 2016, and they simply showed up to lament the sequel’s changes.

“Welcome to Steam, Blizzard,” summed up one user. “Here are all the honest reviews.”

Negative feelings towards Overwatch 2 and Blizzard as a corporate entity controlling the game’s ongoing development aren’t new, but Overwatch 2’s fresh availability on Steam surfaces that negativity for all to see. There’s no equivalent user review section on Battle.net; disgruntled Overwatch fans need to head over to that platform’s forums or Blizzard’s social media channels to vent their spleens.

Blizzard appears to be willing to respond some of the user’s complaints. It’s been as vocal as ever in communicating changes to heroes and their abilities. It also has a program called “Defense Matrix” that’s ostensibly aimed at curbing toxicity — though I still far too frequently see racial and homophobic slurs in Overwatch 2I rarely get any confirmation about the actions that have been taken. Blizzard’s monetization strategy is also only just beginning to shift. Overwatch 2. The developer recently started handing out more in-game currency, though not the premium currency (Overwatch Coins) that is required for premium skins and the game’s seasonal battle passes.

“It’s our goal at Blizzard to listen to players and try to exceed their expectations in everything we do,” Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment, recently said when announcing that the company was bringing its games to Steam. Based on the negative outpouring of reviews by Steam users, it hasn’t yet done that and should look to its free-to-play peers, like the highly user-reviewed Apex LegendsMassage ideas and inspiration Overwatch 2’s monetization.

Steam will be receiving more and more user reviews that are harsher, more honest.