Overwatch 2 Makes Major Changes to New Heroes

Overwatch 2 developer Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that the upcoming sequel would include a major change to Heroes. Since the original Overwatch premiered in 2016, new Heroes have been freely introduced to the game's existing roster of characters. 

This implies that players have always been allowed to employ new Heroes as soon as they are introduced, with no restrictions. Unfortunately, recent research indicates that this will not be the case in Overwatch 2.

According to Blizzard VP Jon Spector, new Overwatch 2 Heroes will be kept behind the game's Battle Pass. This means that in order to unlock these characters, gamers must first play the game and get the new Heroes by completing certain stages of the Pass. While Spector emphasised that Heroes would only be attached to the free element of the Battle Pass that all Overwatch 2 players will have access to, this still represents a significant shift in how new characters will be made available over time.

"Addressing some incomplete information about our Overwatch 2 battle pass that was provided early," Spector wrote on Twitter. "We'll be discussing full information closer to launch, but we can confirm that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the battle pass's free track."

Addressing some incomplete info posted early about our Overwatch 2 Battle Pass – we'll be sharing all details ahead of launch, but want to confirm that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track of the Battle Pass.

— Jon Spector (@Spex_J) September 8, 2022

Spector also stated that, while heroes will be unlocked through yearly battle passes, there will be "open avenues to gain new heroes in future seasons as well."

We will have free paths to get new heroes in future seasons too.

— Jon Spector (@Spex_J) September 8, 2022

Although this decision in Overwatch 2 may be controversial among fans, it is not uncommon to see this behavior in other online games. League of Legends, Valorant, and Rainbow Six Siege have always kept new characters behind some kind of barrier, which may then be released by purchasing real money or in-game cash. With Overwatch 2 now transitioning to a free-to-play format, it's not surprising that Blizzard would consider a similar structure. Still, it's difficult to see why many fans would be dissatisfied, given that the original Overwatch never released Heroes in this fashion.

Fans won't have to wait too much longer to get their hands on Overwatch 2 when it launches, but it remains to be seen how the game does over the long term. On October 4th, Overwatch 2 is scheduled to launch in early access on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.