Overwatch 2 is going free to play, but surprisingly, this is coming with a change of heart in one of the original game’s main income sources. As outlined in a special event today, the loot boxes in Overwatch are going out the door for Overwatch 2Â once the PvP portion of the game drops later this year. Instead, as revealed during its appearance at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, Overwatch 2 will switch to a seasonal battle pass system instead. This gives players a new way to earn the cosmetics in the game. Blizzard also revealed the Overwatch 2 roadmap, starting with Season 1 in October.
Originally, loot boxes were the primary way to get skins in the game, and you would get these boxes by leveling up or participating in some events. You could also purchase these boxes using real money. This will no longer be the case once Overwatch 2 launches — loot boxes are getting dumped. The new battle pass system will pick up that slack, and there’ll be an in-game store is where you can buy new content directly. (Presumably, any old skin you weren’t able to obtain would be purchasable in this new store.)
Throw away the loot boxes
Overwatch 2 will have new seasons, every nine weeks, and each season will bring a new battle pass. The roadmap revealed today also outlined Blizzard’s plans to accelerate content within the game. Overwatch 2 will continue with the original vision of around three to four characters a year, with plans to release a new hero every other season. A season without a new champion will instead come with new maps or game modes. The Overwatch 2 roadmap can be seen below.
In the meantime, you can look forward to Overwatch 2‘s first PvP season which will launch on October 4, loot box free. This new season will introduce a new character, the Junker Queen. There will also be a new Tank hero, map, and skins coming in Season 2 of the game, which is set to launch on December 6. For fans waiting for news about the PvE portion of the game, we’ll have to wait until 2023.
