Overwatch 2's Reviews Surge to 'Mixed' After Hitting Rock Bottom on Steam

Overwatch 2 Season 15 has sparked a positive shift in player sentiment, marking a significant improvement for a game that once held the dubious title of the worst user-reviewed game on Steam. Launched in 2016, the original Overwatch has been followed by Overwatch 2, which debuted in 2023 amidst controversy over its monetization and the transition from a premium to a free-to-play model, which left the original game unplayable. The sequel faced further backlash with the cancellation of its highly anticipated PvE Hero mode, a feature many believed justified the sequel's existence.

Despite retaining a 'mostly negative' overall review rating on Steam, Overwatch 2's recent reviews have climbed to 'mixed,' with 43% of the 5,325 reviews in the last 30 days being positive. This improvement is largely attributed to Season 15, which introduced significant changes to the game, including hero perks and the reintroduction of loot boxes. These updates have revitalized the core gameplay experience, aligning it more closely with what fans enjoyed about the original game while adding fresh elements.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

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Player feedback reflects this positive shift. One review states, "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another player added, "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 mention of a "certain game" refers to Marvel Rivals, a competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase that has garnered 40 million downloads since its December launch. In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the new competitive landscape, stating, "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 described the situation as "exciting" and praised Marvel Rivals for taking Overwatch's established ideas in a "different direction."

Despite the competition, Keller admitted that Marvel Rivals' success has forced Blizzard to adopt a less cautious approach with Overwatch 2, saying, "this is no longer about playing it safe." While it's premature to declare Overwatch "back," the push and pull in Steam user reviews indicate that achieving a better rating than 'mixed' will be challenging. However, Season 15 has led to a significant increase in player engagement on Steam, with peak concurrent player numbers nearly doubling to 60,000. It's important to note that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, where player numbers are not publicly disclosed.

For comparison, Marvel Rivals recently achieved a peak of 305,816 concurrent players on Steam within the last 24 hours, following its own mid-season update.