Overwatch 2 Season 15 is making waves and turning the tide of sentiment around what was once the most negatively reviewed game on Steam. Now, nearly nine years after the original Overwatch debuted in 2016 and two-and-a-half years since the launch of Overwatch 2, the game is showing signs of recovery. In August 2023, Overwatch 2 became infamous for its negative user reviews on Steam, primarily due to backlash over its monetization strategies. Blizzard had controversially updated its premium predecessor into a free-to-play sequel, effectively making the original Overwatch unplayable as of 2022.
The sequel faced further turmoil with the cancellation of its much-anticipated PvE Hero mode, which many players believed was the sole justification for the sequel's existence. Despite still holding a ‘mostly negative’ rating for all reviews on Steam, the recent reviews for Overwatch 2 have improved to ‘mixed,’ with 43% of the 5,325 user reviews from the past 30 days being positive. This shift marks a significant milestone for a game that has been battling overwhelming negativity since its release on Valve’s platform.
The positive change in sentiment is largely attributed to the launch of Season 15, which introduced substantial changes to Overwatch 2. The roadmap for the game promises new content, but it's the core gameplay that has undergone a seismic shift, featuring the addition of hero perks and the return of beloved loot boxes.
Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots
9 Images
Recent positive reviews reflect the community's appreciation for these changes. "They just released Overwatch 2," one review states. "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another review praises the game's direction: "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."
The review alludes to Marvel Rivals, a competitive multiplayer hero shooter from NetEase that has seen 40 million downloads since its December launch. In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the new competitive landscape, noting that it's unprecedented for Overwatch to face such a similar game. "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 remarked.
Despite the competition, Keller found the situation "exciting" and appreciated how Marvel Rivals took Overwatch's concepts in a "different direction." He admitted that Marvel Rivals' success has pushed Blizzard to adopt a less conservative approach with Overwatch 2, stating, "this is no longer about playing it safe."
While it's premature to claim that Overwatch is fully "back," the fluctuating Steam user reviews suggest that improving beyond a ‘mixed’ rating will be challenging. Nevertheless, Season 15 has led to a noticeable increase in player engagement on Valve’s platform, with peak concurrent player numbers nearly doubling to 60,000. It's important to remember that Overwatch 2 is also available on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox, where player numbers are not publicly disclosed.
For comparison, Marvel Rivals recently updated mid-season and saw peak concurrent players on Steam reach 305,816 over the last 24 hours.
