Overwatch 2 Season 15: A Resurgence from the Brink?
Overwatch 2, launched two and a half years after its predecessor, faced a tumultuous start. In August 2023, it earned the dubious distinction of being Steam's worst-reviewed game ever, largely due to controversies surrounding monetization and the controversial transition from a premium model to free-to-play. The cancellation of the highly anticipated PvE Hero mode further fueled player discontent.
However, a recent shift in sentiment is evident. While still holding a "mostly negative" overall rating, recent reviews show a significant improvement towards "mixed," with 43% of the 5,325 reviews submitted in the last 30 days being positive. This turnaround is largely attributed to Season 15's impactful changes.
Season 15 introduced substantial gameplay alterations, including hero perks and the return of loot boxes, addressing core criticisms. This has resulted in overwhelmingly positive feedback from players. One recent review sums it up: “They just released Overwatch 2. The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way.” Another player commented, “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.” This positive reception even references the success of a competitor, Marvel Rivals.
The emergence of Marvel Rivals, a highly successful hero shooter with over 40 million downloads since its December launch, has significantly impacted Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2. In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the intensified competition, stating, "We're obviously in a new competitive landscape...where there's another game that's so similar to the one that we've created." He described the situation as "exciting" and emphasized that Blizzard is no longer "playing it safe."
Despite the positive shift, it's premature to declare Overwatch 2's complete comeback. The Steam reviews remain a mixed bag, and sustained improvement beyond "mixed" remains uncertain. However, Season 15 has demonstrably boosted player numbers on Steam, nearly doubling peak concurrent players to 60,000. It's important to note that these figures only represent Steam users; total player counts across all platforms (Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox) remain undisclosed. For comparison, Marvel Rivals boasts significantly higher concurrent player numbers on Steam (305,816 in the last 24 hours).
Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots
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