Overwatch fans revolt over Blizzard's plan to lock heroes behind battle pass
Overwatch(opens in new tab) fans are furious that one of the original game's promises will be broken in the upcoming sequel.
For a brief period of time last week—long enough for the internet to take notice—the $40 Watchpoint Pack, which includes access to Overwatch 2's season one battle pass, exclusive skins, and a heap of the game's new in-game currency, included a line(opens in new tab) that said premium battle pass owners «automatically receive access to Overwatch's latest hero Kiriko(opens in new tab)!»
Blizzard VP and commercial leader on Overwatch Jon Spector responded(opens in new tab) to the listing on Twitter, clarifying that new heroes will be on the «free track of the battle pass» and that Blizzard would share more details before the game's October 4 launch. Twitter user Dorwulf(opens in new tab) asked Spector if there would be a way to get heroes in future seasons if you missed unlocking them. Spector replied, «We will have free paths to get new heroes in future seasons too,» suggesting that if you miss a hero, they will still be available through new battle passes or other methods.
Overwatch fans have spent the last five days expressing just how much they disagree with this fundamental change to the way Blizzard has released heroes since 2016. Current and lapsed players are almost universally against the idea of the game forcing you to earn a hero before you can play them. Many people cite former Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan's promise that heroes will be free in a 2015 video(opens in new tab) before the original Overwatch released. And several memes lambast the news, like this one where the two kids in the game's animated announcement short ask Tracer if they can be a hero like her, to which she says,
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