Aaron Keller had admitted that the review bombing on Valve’s digital storefront happened because Activision Blizzard removed PvE content from the game’s dev pipeline when it was what would have made it more advanced than the since-canceled first part.

Overwatch 2 was released on Steam on Thursday and has received over 150,000 reviews since then; and is in the Overwhelmingly Negative category. Not only is this a shame for the game and the studio, but less than 1% of the reviews are positive, making it the worst-reviewed game in Gabe Newell’s store…

The reviews mainly point out the free-to-play structure (the first part was paid, this one isn’t, and it’s packed with monetization…) and the deletion of Hero (PvE) missions as negatives. Keller has so far taken it in stride, and this is how he reacted on the Overwatch blog: “We also launched on Steam last week, and, although being review-bombed isn’t a fun experience, it’s been great to see lots of new players jump into Overwatch 2 for the first time. Our goal with Overwatch 2 has been to make the game more accessible than ever for more people. Many of the reviews on Steam mention the cancellation of the much more significant component of PvE that was announced in 2019 as one of their primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the game. I get that.

That announcement was about an ambitious project that we ultimately couldn’t deliver. What can we do if we can’t turn back the clock? We can keep adding to and improving Overwatch 2. That is how we move forward. This means more maps, heroes, game modes, missions, stories, events, cool cosmetics, and features – an ever-expanding, evolving, and improving game. This is the future of Overwatch. One where we will continually create and innovate on what is making the game great now for the players who are playing now,” Keller wrote.

It’s too late to complain and look to the past now. Money is more important, not player happiness. It is clear from the situation with Overwatch 2, reinforcing our claim that 1983 needs to be repeated (i.e., the US games industry needs another bankruptcy).

Source: VGC