I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss loot boxes in Overwatch 2

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Back in June, we learned that Overwatch 2 would be ditching its controversial loot boxes. The industry celebrated, and why not? Various countries around the world have decreed that loot boxes equate to gambling, with the UK government demanding publishers put measures in place that safeguard children from the adverse effects of them. 18 European countries have also backed measures calling for loot box regulation.

For Overwatch – one of the biggest games that popularised the use of loot boxes in the first place – to renege and opt for the battle pass (as seen in Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and many others besides)… that’s a big move. Seismic. It had the potential to rewrite the rule book, set a precedent for responsible and engaging progression whilst still monetizing the game. Because that, essentially, is what this is all about. Instead, though, the battle pass implementation has been one of the worst I’ve seen in a game for a long time – possibly ever.

Let’s set the scene. Overwatch is dead. There’s no going back to the original game, now; it is offline, supplanted and replaced wholly by Overwatch 2. The way you used to earn cosmetics and goods for your various heroes – by opening loot boxes and getting randomised rewards – has been replaced with two tracks of a battle pass (one paid, one free).

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