Overwatch 2's approach to new heroes is bad for both players and the game

gamesradar.com:

Overwatch 2 will lock new heroes behind battle pass progression, and even though you can access them for free by grinding some games, it's still a disappointing move from Blizzard. Overwatch 2 seemingly won't tie new heroes to premium or slowly accumulated currencies like other free-to-play hero shooters such as Valorant and Apex Legends – and that's a big seemingly – but the franchise is so firmly rooted in experimental and reactive team compositions that this move feels antithetical to what makes it fun and popular in the first place.

Blizzard seems to have expected pushback on this decision. Overwatch 2 is out in less than a month, and leaks are the only reason we know about new heroes going on the battle pass. Overwatch commercial leader and VP Jon Spector took to Twitter (opens in new tab) to address "incomplete info posted early" about the battle pass, confirming that "Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track." Naturally, responses were swift and loud, with many players echoing my sentiments. Overwatch 2 feels more and more like it's abandoning the spirit of the original, and this is just one more body on the pile.

Overwatch has traditionally been a lightning-fast chess match with explosions. You might select one of your favorite heroes at the start of the match just to discover you're getting absolutely stonewalled by an enemy's counter and have to switch off. But even if your first pick proved to be untenable in a certain match, the beauty of Overwatch 1 is that every hero is at your disposal to try and take out a dominating Widowmaker or snuff out a raging Torbjorn. 

The entire premise of Overwatch as a hero shooter is one where each hero has a unique and finely tuned skillset, and how well each