Key Highlights:
- Overwatch 2 Director Aaron Keller responds to negative Steam reviews, promising more content and improvements.
- The game’s shift to a free-to-play model and cancellation of the PvE campaign have led to widespread dissatisfaction.
- Despite the review bombing, Keller emphasizes that many core players believe the game is in its best state ever.
In the wake of Overwatch 2’s Steam launch, which led to an unprecedented wave of negative reviews, game director Aaron Keller has issued an official statement addressing the concerns of the gaming community. The game’s recent season six, titled Invasion, brought new content but also sparked an overwhelming influx of negative feedback.
Keller acknowledged the review bombing in a recent blog post, stating:
“…Although being review-bombed isn’t a fun experience, it’s been great to see lots of new players jump into Overwatch 2 for the first time. Our goal with Overwatch 2 has been to make the game more accessible than ever for more people than ever before.”
The majority of the negative reviews stem from the cancellation of the much-anticipated PvE component announced in 2019, and the game’s monetization scheme, which has become more pervasive after OW2’s shift to a free-to-play model.
Keller expressed understanding of the players’ dissatisfaction, saying:
“Many of the reviews on Steam mention the cancellation of the much larger component of PvE that was announced in 2019 as one of their primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the game. I get that. That announcement was about an ambitious project that we ultimately couldn’t deliver.”
He went on to outline Blizzard’s plan to move forward:
“If we can’t turn back the clock, then what can we do? We can keep adding to and improving Overwatch 2. That is how we move forward. This means more maps, heroes, game modes, missions, stories, events, cool cosmetics, and features—an ever-expanding, evolving, and improving game. This is the future of Overwatch. One where we will continually create and innovate on what is making the game great now for the players who are playing now.”
Despite the negative sentiment, Keller also emphasized that many core players believe the game is in its best state ever, and encouraged people to give the hero shooter an earnest try on Steam.
The response from Blizzard has been met with mixed reactions, with some appreciating the commitment to improvement and others disappointed by the lack of concrete solutions to the issues raised. What lies in the game’s future remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Blizzard is determined to shape it according to their vision, critics be damned.
