Overwatch 2 Season 15 is receiving positive feedback, marking a significant improvement in sentiment for a game that was once labeled as the worst user-reviewed game on Steam. Launched nearly nine years after the original Overwatch debuted in 2016, and two-and-a-half years following Overwatch 2's release, the game hit a low point in August 2023. At that time, it became infamous for its negative reviews, primarily due to criticism over its monetization model. Blizzard faced backlash for transitioning the premium original Overwatch into a free-to-play sequel, effectively making the first game unplayable since 2022.
Overwatch 2 faced further challenges, including the controversial cancellation of its much-anticipated PvE Hero mode, which many players believed was the key feature that justified the sequel. Despite still holding a 'mostly negative' overall user review rating on Steam, the game's recent reviews have shifted to 'mixed,' with 43% of the 5,325 reviews in the last 30 days being positive. This shift is noteworthy for Overwatch 2, given the intense negativity it has experienced since its Steam launch.
The turnaround can be attributed to Season 15, which introduced substantial changes to the game. Alongside expected new content, the core gameplay has undergone a significant transformation, including the introduction of hero perks and the return of loot boxes.
Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots
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Players have expressed their satisfaction with the recent updates. One positive review stated, "They just released Overwatch 2. The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another review praised the game's direction, saying, "For once, I must come to Overwatch's defense and say they really have stepped up their game. Going back to what worked in Overwatch 1 while introducing new and fun mechanics to the game. A certain game made them LOCK IN and I couldn't be happier. Now we just gotta wait for next season with an actual cooler battlepass."
This positive feedback is partly due to the impact of Marvel Rivals, a competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase, which has garnered 40 million downloads since its December launch. In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller discussed the competitive landscape, acknowledging the similarity between the two games. "We're obviously in a new competitive landscape that I think, for Overwatch, we've never really been in before, to this extent where there's another game that's so similar to the one that we've created," Keller stated. He described the situation as "exciting" and appreciated how Marvel Rivals took Overwatch's ideas in a "different direction."
Keller also admitted that the success of Marvel Rivals prompted a shift in Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2, emphasizing a move away from playing it safe. Despite these improvements, it remains premature to claim Overwatch 2's full recovery, as the fluctuating Steam user reviews indicate the challenge of surpassing a 'mixed' rating. However, Season 15 has led to a notable increase in player numbers on Steam, with peak concurrent players almost doubling to 60,000. It's important to consider that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, though player numbers for these platforms are not publicly disclosed.
For comparison, Marvel Rivals, which recently released a mid-season update, achieved a peak of 305,816 concurrent players on Steam in the last 24 hours.
