Overwatch 2 Aaron Keller believes that in modern realities it is very difficult to release a large shooter without a Free-to-Play model. In an interview with GameSaraadar+ he portal Explainedthat the availability of the price of the project of this genre is a huge barrier to the entrance. Prior to Overwatch, games with a F2P model have already existed, but now it has become a much more significant part of the market.
According to the developer, many players are not ready to spend $ 60-70 on a game that they have never tried, especially when the market is full of free alternatives. As an example, he cited Concord, which was closed only two weeks after launch. At the same time, the successes of games such as HELLDIVERS 2 or Lethal Company are rare and often depend on the viral effect.
The Overwatch transition to F2P was not just a change in the name – the new model began to influence the design of the game itself. The audience has changed a bit, and this began to determine the development method. In the original Overwatch, the heroes tried to give the most simple mechanics to make them accessible to everyone. For example, even at the Overwatch development stage, Genji and Handzo were born from one class of Project Titan characters. The developers chose to divide one complex concept into two ordinary heroes.
Now players are mastering new characters too fast, and meta is instantly rebuilt for beginners. Therefore, in the 15th season, Overwatch 2, which starts on February 18, Blizzard will introduce percocks and improvements right during the matches. This should add more depth and diversity in gameplay. Whether this experiment will be successful – we will find out very soon.
