Blizzard Is Testing the Overwatch Microtransaction Waters
Overwatch has been stuffed with microtransactions since it originally launched midway through 2016, a fine tradition that Overwatch 2 will absolutely continue. They’re pricey, especially when some can offer randomized content, but there’s a significant audience willing to spend money on the best cosmetics the game has to offer. The Blizzard side of Activision Blizzard recently teased how willing they are to get gutsier with paid in-game offerings.
A survey was provided to a select group of fans that included several questions regarding features that could be implemented in the sequel planned for launch on October4th. Two questions in particular were eyebrow-raising, as first notably highlighted by Twitter user Portergauge. One asked how likely a player would be to pay $24.99 for a Legendary Skin, while another asked if they would pay an exorbitant $44.99 for a Mythic Skin. Both would be extraordinary microtransactions, well beyond those the first game offered as it was being actively supported. It’s Blizzard’s equivalent of turning a dial and looking back at the audience for approval like The Price is Right.
There will be players who choose the “Somewhat Likely” and “Very Likely” options on those surveys, because the potential for certain users to pay for bragging rights should never be underestimated. But I expect that most will choose the “Unlikely” options because they don’t want to be taken for suckers — not publicly, anyway. Even considering that, it’s a frightening look into the thought process behind future microtransactions Blizzard may want to implement in the sequel, which raises questions as to what else they could be pondering. Note that we’re talking about a game that will cost $39.99 or an equivalent when it launches, and it’s clear they’re thinking about making up for the price being $20 to $30 cheaper than the average new game through the kinds of microtransactions more common in free-to-play games. They’re certainly not unheard of in premium-priced titles, though.
If they’re thinking about this, I wouldn’t put it past them to eventually implement microtransactions like them anyway, regardless of the choice players make on this survey. Chances are Microsoft won’t be as cutthroat as Activision Blizzard under the should-be-disgraced Bobby Kotick when they own them, but the former isn’t set to own them until June 2023. They’re going to need more revenue to make up for all the players who’ve checked out of Call of Duty in recent months, besides introducing more microtransactions in the CoD games themselves. Fun all around.
To clarify: Microsoft will own Activision Blizzard by this time next year if they don’t run into unplanned obstacles along the way, likely in the form of antitrust organizations filing lawsuits. Not that a gigantic purchase of a company and mass corporate consolidation shouldn’t be scrutinized, but there are plenty of developers working at the company who’d rather be under Microsoft and someone like Xbox Studios’ Phil Spencer overseeing the company than Kotick.
Should anyone want to observe what Blizzard looks like in unrestrained form, Diablo Immortal is available on mobile and Windows for them to see and shudder at. There shouldn’t be a one-to-one comparison between the microtransactions in that game and Overwatch 2 thanks to Immortal being a genuine free-to-play title, but it’s a way to discover the level of spending they’d like to see in their games. Hell, the story about the survey was posted alongside another one about an Immortal player who spent a whopping $100,000 (!!!) on beefing up a Barbarian who can’t find anyone to match him thanks to being hilariously overpowered. Blizzard commented to say they’re working on fixes for the matchmaking, the kind of response they would provide for a big-spending player. Even if companies don’t always cater towards whales, they’ll, uh, find a way.
The player base for Overwatch won’t get a full idea of just how far Blizzard will want to go with microtransactions in the sequel until it’s been on the market for several months. The title will be welcoming for new and returning players in its launch window, but more options for in-game purchases will slowly-but-steadily be introduced as the game develops. And don’t be surprised for a second if they’re priced exactly like the examples in the survey. I’m sure those outfits will look spiffy, and you can bet your ass that some players will fork their money over for them in this economy. That, frighteningly enough, might be good-enough thought to further encourage Blizzard.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
