For example, CS:GO with operations and new cases, but followed the path of Call of Duty or Titanfall with the advent of new games to replace outdated ones. Why is there Overwatch 2 at all, and not additional operations or new skins.
At the moment, it is obvious that Overwatch has a lenient in-game purchase policy and, as a result, does not receive proper funding through the purchase of cases in-game. But the game is still session-based and should not be updated regularly. People are getting tired: they need new content, new maps, new heroes, pieces of new lore and new modes. To do this you need funding. Money from the sale of new copies no longer covers all costs. We need a new push of cash flow to continue to develop the project and do something big, and not just endless events for the Chinese New Year.
And then Blizzard decides to make a separate game, which at first causes confusion among many fans of the studio. The company always supports its games for a very long time and does not pursue frequent serial release of games from one brand. But as it turned out, Blizzard did not intend to create a separate game in the full sense of the word. It turned out that Overwatch 2 is still more of an expansion of the first part of the game. Yes, it is purchased separately, as a separate standalone add-on. People who buy it may not own the original game and, conversely, can continue to play the first Overwatch without purchasing the sequel.
However, Blizzard does not want to divide the audience, and players will continue to play together in many modes. This will allow for a big influx of funding into the game, since 80% of the existing audience will likely buy Overwatch 2. Considering that it will be the same game that they already play, but with new modes, company, lore and heroes .
Overwatch 2 will continue Blizzard’s tradition of supporting the existing Overwatch community. Current players will be able to fight Overwatch 2 players online in PvP mode. Moreover, current players will be able to choose characters and maps from the second game, ensuring PvP combat will continue to be dynamic and fun for the community as Overwatch 2 arrives.
Why this particular form of monetization?
Why did Blizzard choose this, and not the path of increasing purchases within the existing game? Most likely, this is where we see the direct influence of Activision.
It’s no secret that Overwatch began to be created precisely under the patronage of programmers and game designers from Activision (and their partner studios), people who are mainly involved in the development of Call of Duty. Blizzard itself had no experience making first-person shooters. Having come to the rescue, Activision brought not only gameplay ideas, but also a monetization format. After all, if we look at Call of Duty, we will see that there are purchases, skins, add-ons, etc. inside the game, but still the games in this series are put on stream and are produced separately. Activision is deliberately driving most of the active audience into the new game, as they are gradually stopping support for older games. For the old game, tournaments are stopped, updates are not made, and content is not released. This is the model of monetization and support for the game that Activision pushed at Blizzard.
And that’s why Overwatch 2 came about, but Blizzard wouldn’t be Blizzard if it didn’t modify the format. As a result, both Activision and Blizzard merged to form Activision Blizzard, and monetization concepts merged into one completely new format.
Bottom line
What will all this give us, ordinary players? By and large, this is a plus for the audience. At the moment, most people do not like the free to play monetization format, as it is often executed in a terrible way. It’s not for nothing that the joke “I’m not rich enough to play free games” goes around the Internet. A format that does not favor one group of players is always a plus.
Let’s hope that Overwatch will continue to be a game with minimal influence from in-game purchases and will receive a new impetus for development.
