Overwatch 2's Steam debut met with 'Mostly Negative' rating
Overwatch 2's Steam launch sparks controversy, with 'Mostly Negative' user reviews challenging Blizzard's transition from Battle.net
Blizzard aimed to go down in history with the release of Season 6: Invasion, its well-liked hero shooter. Previously, all Blizzard PC games were Battle.net only, but Overwatch 2 recently made the switch to Steam, paving the way for further franchises to follow.
Although more players may now access the free-to-play game on their preferred launcher thanks to this switch, it wasn't without controversy. Overwatch 2 already has a ‘Mostly Negative’ rating on Steam just hours after its August 10 release as a result of thousands of negative user reviews.
Overwatch 2 is now available on Steam!https://t.co/DB5U0Vr5EA pic.twitter.com/0HNWdGpHfa
— Steam (@Steam) August 10, 2023
Mostly negative user reviews greet the release of Overwatch 2 on Steam
At this time, around 70% of all user reviews for Overwatch 2 are negative, maintaining the game's ‘Mostly Negative’ rating. It goes without saying that these early user reviews should be taken with a grain of salt given that the game has only recently gone live on Steam. After all, review-bombing has started to take on a bit of a trend lately. This year alone, everything from Diablo 4 to Final Fantasy XVI has encountered comparable public reaction.
Many of these unfavourable reviews for Overwatch 2 are merely adding to the pile and offer little to no substantive criticism. They go like “Overwatch 1 > Overwatch 2.” “Terrible.” On launch day, the review section is also covered in links to Team Fortress 2’s retail page on Steam.
While charging “only $15” for the initial batch of Story Missions, some people made the decision to criticise the recent PVE pivot, focusing their criticism on the lack of hero growth. “Don't support this predator behaviour”, said one user.
Things may even out in the following days when more players join Overwatch 2 on Steam, as has typically happened with review bombs like this. The possibility exists, nevertheless, that the number of unfavourable user evaluations will keep growing and the overall designation of ‘Mostly Negative’ will remain in place permanently.
