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

Overwatch 2 Season 15: A Resurgence?

Nearly nine years after the original Overwatch debuted, and two and a half years after Overwatch 2's launch, the game is experiencing a surprising resurgence. In August 2023, it famously hit rock bottom, becoming the worst user-reviewed game on Steam, largely due to controversial monetization practices and the controversial shift from a premium model to free-to-play. The cancellation of the highly anticipated PvE Hero mode further fueled the negative sentiment.

While still holding a "mostly negative" overall rating on Steam, recent reviews paint a different picture. Season 15 has shifted the tide, with 43% of the 5,325 reviews submitted in the last 30 days being positive, pushing the recent review score to "mixed." This is a significant turnaround for a game that has faced overwhelming negativity since its release on Steam.

The positive shift is largely attributed to Season 15's dramatic changes. While the roadmap includes expected new content, core gameplay has undergone a significant overhaul, including the introduction of hero perks and the return of loot boxes. Player feedback reflects this change:

"They just released Overwatch 2," reads one recent positive review. "The recent update is what the game should always have been before corporate greed got in the way."

"For once, I must come to Overwatch's defense and say they really have stepped up their game," reads another. "Going back to what worked in Overwatch 1 while introducing new and fun mechanics. Now we just gotta wait for next season with an actual cooler battlepass."

This positive reception comes amidst the rise of Marvel Rivals, a popular competitor with over 40 million downloads since its December launch. In an interview with GamesRadar, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller acknowledged the new competitive landscape, calling the situation "exciting" and Marvel Rivals' success "really great," even noting that it spurred a change in Blizzard's approach to Overwatch 2: "this is no longer about playing it safe."

Despite this positive momentum, it's premature to declare Overwatch 2's triumphant return. Steam reviews still show a fluctuating sentiment, and achieving a consistently positive rating remains a challenge. However, Season 15 has undeniably boosted player numbers on Steam, nearly doubling peak concurrent players to 60,000. It's important to note that these numbers only reflect the Steam player base; total player counts across all platforms (Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox) are unavailable. For comparison, Marvel Rivals boasts 305,816 peak concurrent players on Steam in the last 24 hours.

Overwatch 2 Season 15 Screenshots

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