PC Gaming

Blizzard originally announced that they were releasing an entire PvE campaign that you would be able to play from start to finish upon release. That was the majority of the justification for a $60 price tag. Since then, it's been delayed, and now that's been dropped. Instead, this is essentially the Overwatch Archives missions that players were already able to access in OW1, but now you likely have to pay for each consecutive mission set. In the original announcement blog post, there's only one line that is seemingly intentionally vague about whether you can access the story missions for free when they're introduced or not:

You can get started on your mission to save the world with the Overwatch 2: Invasion Bundle for $15 USD. This bundle includes:

• Access to the Overwatch 2: Invasion Story Missions, during the season and permanently after
• 1,000 Overwatch Coins (equal to the Premium Battle Pass, $10 USD value)
• A brand-new Sojourn Legendary skin ($19 USD value)
• Permanent access to Sojourn as a playable hero for new players: unlocked upon completing Story Mission challenges.

While this could be read as being able to play the story missions for free during the season, it doesn't explicitly explain this, nor is it implied anywhere else within the announcement. What's also troubling is the attachment of "permanent access to Sojourn as a playable hero for new players", and later "you can also choose to unlock all the above, plus the six heroes new to Overwatch 2—Sojourn, Junkerqueen, Kiriko, Ramattra, Lifeweaver, and the new Support hero coming August 10—with the Overwatch 2: Complete Hero Collection for $20 USD." They're now locking 2 characters, alongside their respective abilities, that were previously attainable both by new and returning players for free behind a paywall, in a live service PvP game.

Combined with other changes like the transition from lootboxes to the seasonal battle pass model, it feels like Blizzard is taking a more predatory direction in monetizing Overwatch 2, and burning both new and veteran players alike with these changes.