{Early Access} Overwatch 2 - October 4, 2022

**Melena** · 2021-11-03 10:02

The fact they are hellbent on OW2 to be fully backwards compatible with OW just screams "we want to charge sixty bucks for a content update"

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**Serra** · 2021-11-03 11:06

I'm all for bashing on Blizzard, but this isn't just a simple content update, this is a full PvE campaign. If you think they're wrong for charging for it, I don't know what to tell ya.

**silverdragontyr** · 2021-11-03 11:28

I'm fine with them doing paid PvE content. Mann vs Machine was great fun in TF2 and more things like the OW arcade games was something myself and many other had been wanting for a while. But deciding "We're also going to change the game we already promised would be compatible with OW1 to 5v5 thus forcing the rebalance of every character in the game and essentially double to triple our work load" was a terrible idea. Not only for the amount of extra work they now had but for a game they had literally spent millions on trying to make an E-sport. "Guess what, a member of each of your teams is now fired and you have to relearn the game you've been learning for years"

I just really don't know what the thought process was behind this. Anyone could see the huge ramifications this would have. Plus as someone said about not hiring extra people for the extra workload so your main game could keep up with updates and even enough to cause your game director to walk out? Mishandled isn't a strong enough word. This whole process has been a dumpster fire.

**Lucavi** · 2021-11-03 11:28

The thought process was corporate wanting a new game to get that boxed sale all over again.

**Melena** · 2021-11-03 12:29

Never said they shouldn't charge for it. It's the fact they've decided it has to be fully backwards compatible with OW, which as already pointed out is forcing a complete and total rebalancing of the first game due to it being dropped to a 5v5, ending updates for said original game, and going to charge full price for what is essentially just an add on single player campaign that could have easily been done via paid dlc without fucking the rest of the game.

Assuming it's not something that would be beaten in a few hours, I'm sure people would have happily dropped 25 for a PVE campaign add on, while still continuing to get new heroes and maps, but instead Actiblizzard wants the full pop sales.

**Lucavi** · 2021-11-03 12:58

The backwards compatibility serves two purposes:

1) To incentivize those who haven't bought the sequel to eventually upgrade, due to being able to still play with those who have the sequel. Presumably if the game was a great success, those only playing the first game would constantly hear the hype and praise for the second, and eventually take the plunge.
2) To not split the player-base on the PVP side, which will always be the main focus for the majority of the player-base.

Personally, I wanted to see a greater focus on the storyline of the game, especially when they did such a decent initial job hyping up the fact that whatever the truth of 7 years ago was very, VERY interesting, but at this point, I don't care anymore because its taken too long and too many other interesting titles have come out. At some point you have to shit or get off the pot, and Blizzard's fumbling of their own content cycles and release schedules have just taken the wind out of their own sales time after time.

We live in a gaming world where there are companies and products that absolutely nail the consistent release cycle approach with their content. Even seeing a game like XIV consistently release their content on time further makes Blizzard's model look like an aging Ford Model T, instead of the smooth Audi or BMW they'd like us to believe they're still making.

**Melena** · 2021-11-03 15:10

Splitting the player base is kind of a weak argument as every other fps that has gotten sequels didn't do this for the most part.

You try to appease to many different groups, you end up with a convuluted mess and a game thatanages to alienate everyone as they move onto newer and better things

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**Lucavi** · 2021-11-03 15:25

I never said it was a good argument, just that it was a Blizzard argument. This is the company that literally dried content up for over 2 years now, and will continue to do so for THREE FUCKING YEARS between both games.

A company that thought it was a good idea to go cubicle crawling on company time, lol.

**Melena** · 2021-11-03 15:50

Which makes no sense since their overlords put out a CoD game every year, and that shit's PVP sure as hell isn't backwards compatible with each other. All they've done is ensured that those who care only about PVP element and not the PVE story will not buy this upgrade, as they have no reason to.

It's like they went into the sequel with every decision they've made having the sole intent of pissing off and alienating their fanbase.

**Lucavi** · 2021-11-03 15:53

Is it any wonder why Jeff got the fuck out?

He really fought for the players with some of the decisions on OW1. I know they sorely miss him there.

**6souls** · 2022-01-13 19:04

**Lucavi** · 2022-01-13 21:57

Toxicity had nothing to do with it; every shooter is full of toxic players by simple design of competition. The rest of the points are salient, however. Toxicity may have scared away the most casual of players, but no others.

**6souls** · 2022-01-13 22:01

Originally Posted by Lucavi

Toxicity had nothing to do with it; every shooter is full of toxic players by simple design of competition. The rest of the points are salient, however. Toxicity may have scared away the most casual of players, but no others.

Toxicity also scared away sponsors.

**Lucavi** · 2022-01-13 22:15

That's a different kind of toxicity. I'm talking about players in-game screeching at one another and dropping hate speech. Investors don't give a shit about that. Blizzard's company-wide harrassment towards women absolutely was a major factor in scaring away those sponsors.

The ranked toxicity was a failure of Blizz to address a number of issues: namely to fucking ban accounts permanently (even though people straight up bought new copies, which = more profits anyway), allowing for solo queues for ranked and a complete lack of usable stats to help people actually figure out who is doing what to help/hurt the team.

**Serra** · 2022-03-10 15:38

Somehow a four minute video feels like he rambles for too long >.>

PvP is being "decoupled" from PvE, closed alpha is being run, closed beta in late April, public betas later in the year, no word on when PvE content will come out.

Presumably the full PvP "release" will happen first, but if that's the case, what have they been working on all this time??

Also, does this disprove the article from earlier that said the campaign stuff was mostly done?

**Lucavi** · 2022-03-10 16:44

Blink twice if PR is asking you to lie, sir.

God, Blizzard videos are always so pathetic. A high-pitched voiced dude lying out of his teeth and reading from a fucking cue card to appease his corporate overlords. Can't speak from the chest. Can't tell the truth. Just spin and buzzwords and false promises for Bobby.

Its amazing how much I've soured on this company over the years. They've long-since taken EA's crown.

**Salodin** · 2022-03-11 08:06

Who cares about this anymore? Unless it's free on game pass...

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**Serra** · 2022-03-11 09:36

If you already have OW1, this PvP stuff should be free, unless they've changed something (which, at this point..).

**silverdragontyr** · 2022-03-11 09:41

If they try to charge people for the PvP stuff at this point might as well cancel the game. They will piss off an already angry base. This game has been a mess since day one lol. Its both surprising and not surprising it feels like they have done nothing on this game in three years.

**carlweathers** · 2022-03-12 01:56

Yeah…. I loved the original…would like to give them the benefit of the doubt despite recent events.

Does decouple mean that they’re going to sell this game without the PVE mode? Is it still “compatible” with OW1?

The messaging of this is so fucking confusing, lol. I honestly think if it was like Destiny 2 where they basically say “ya nothing from the original game matters” would be awful but the bandaid would be ripped off by now.