What is this policy they are breaking? The head of Overwatch at the time, Jeff Kaplan, said in a video from 2015 (via youtube):

That’s how it was in Overwatch for all those years: when a new hero came along, players could play and use them immediately. Everyone was equal and had access to the same heroes.

Because Overwatch uses a sort of “rock-paper-scissors” system, and players can switch heroes on the fly, this was an important point that set Overwatch apart:

If you just couldn’t rip as a nimble Tracer, you might switch to Widowmaker and try from a distance or swing a hammer as Reinhardt.

But to keep it all fair, everyone needed access to all available heroes: Because otherwise you might have played rock-paper-scissors and without scissors.

New heroes no longer available to all – players must earn or buy them

How is this principle broken now? In Overwatch 2, players are supposed to “first earn” new heroes: this was revealed by a Blizzard mistake: For a short time last week you could catch a glimpse of a $40 package that talked about a Battle Pass and exclusive skins.

In the post was the sentence, “Those who own the Premium Battle Pass will receive automatic access to the new hero Kiriko.”

Conversely, this means: Those who don’t have the pass apparently don’t have access to the new hero. That is a break with the principle.

Here’s how Blizzard responded: A key Overwatch employee, Jon Spector, clarified:

• The new heroes will be available on the “free trail of Battle Pass”
• Heroes could also be unlocked if you miss the – Season
• More details will be announced before the launch on October 4.

This is apparently what the model looks like: Overwatch apparently plans to bring a BattlePass, with 2 different “tracks”:

• On one track you can earn free stuff – including the new hero
• But if you pay money and get the premium edition, you can unlock new heroes immediately

Players demand their money back

How is this being discussed? In the community of Overwatch, the new development is viewed extremely critically. Memes in which players express their protest are teeming:

For example, there is a post on reddit where children ask Tracer if they can also become heroes like her. But Tracer replies, “Ehm, no – you’re too poor for that.”

Among the current biggest posts on reddit are posts in which games are reclaiming their spending on Overwatch. This would still be possible before the release, explains one user (via reddit).

Overwatch still has an “old” business model, which is now being changed

Why is the issue so annoying for many? The site PC Gamer explains: Overwatch comes from a time before the new business models that we know from games like Apex Legends or Valorant took root. In Overwatch, all content was freely available, only cosmetics could be purchased optionally via Lootboxes.

And the game remained unchanged in monetization for 6 years: You bought the game and had access to everything: that was the deal Blizzard made with players.

Now Blizzard is breaking with this principle. In Overwatch, it is possible to change your hero in the middle of the game in order to react to a situation – if you lack heroes for this, you apparently see this as a big problem.

It also additionally fits the “Blizzard is getting greedy” narrative that many have had in their heads at least since Diablo Immortal when they look at new promotions from Blizzard.

Anyway, Overwatch 2 has already brought some disadvantages for Blizzard now:

Overwatch 2 was a bad idea from Blizzard and killed them a successful game