After Becoming the Worst User-Reviewed Game Ever on Steam, Overwatch 2’s Recent Reviews Jump to ‘Mixed’

Overwatch 2 Season 15: A Resurgence from the Depths of Negative Reviews?

Nearly nine years after the original Overwatch debuted, and two and a half years after Overwatch 2's launch, the game has seen a surprising shift in player sentiment. In August 2023, it famously became the worst user-reviewed game on Steam, largely due to controversies surrounding its monetization and the transition from a premium model to free-to-play, rendering the original game unplayable. Further fueling the negativity was the cancellation of the highly anticipated PvE Hero mode, a key feature many players felt justified the sequel's existence.

Despite still holding a "mostly negative" overall rating on Steam, recent reviews reveal a significant improvement towards "mixed." An impressive 43% of the 5,325 reviews submitted in the last 30 days were positive. This marks a considerable turning point for a game previously mired in overwhelmingly negative feedback.

This positive shift is largely attributed to Season 15, which introduced dramatic gameplay changes. While the roadmap continues to deliver expected new content, core gameplay mechanics have undergone a significant overhaul, including the addition of hero perks and the return of loot boxes.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

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Player reviews reflect this change: "They just released Overwatch 2," one recent positive review states. "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way." Another enthusiastic player comments, "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." This sentiment even references the popular competitor, Marvel Rivals, stating, "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 emergence of Marvel Rivals, a highly successful hero shooter boasting 40 million downloads since its December launch, has undeniably impacted Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2. In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the intensified competition, calling the situation "exciting" and praising Marvel Rivals for taking established Overwatch concepts in "a different direction." However, he also admitted that Marvel Rivals' success has prompted a shift within Blizzard: "this is no longer about playing it safe."

While it's premature to declare Overwatch's triumphant return, the improvement in Steam user reviews and a near doubling of peak concurrent players on the platform to 60,000 (though player numbers across all platforms remain undisclosed by Blizzard, Sony, and Microsoft) indicate a positive trend. It's important to note that Marvel Rivals currently enjoys significantly higher peak concurrent player numbers on Steam (305,816 in the last 24 hours). The future of Overwatch 2's reception remains uncertain, but Season 15 undeniably marks a significant step towards recovery.