Overwatch 2’s Jon Spector confirms that hero unlocks will be on the free track of the battle pass

"The rumor you hate isn't as bad as it looks!"

    
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Costs money!

Blizzard has not been doing a great job of managing its leaks lately, and another one hit last night when a description of Overwatch 2‘s Watchpoint Pack went up. This included a statement that players who purchased the premium battle pass would get access to the game’s new support hero, Kiriko, immediately – which prompted commercial lead Jon Spector to take to Twitter and assure people that the hero is available on the free track of the battle pass, not the paid one.

While this does mean that new heroes remain accessible without having to pay for them on launch (an element that has been present in Overwatch since the game’s launch), it is a rather significant departure from the game’s previous development philosophy of keeping nothing but cosmetics locked behind playtime and keeping the roster accessible to everyone. Spector does not state what remedies will be available for players who do not happen to earn a hero through the battle pass initially, simply stating that there will be undisclosed methods. Probably not where you want the hype train to be when the game is launching on October 4th.

Activision-Blizzard is considered a controversial gaming company owing to a long string of scandals over the last few years, including the Blitzchung boycott, mass layoffs, labor disputes, and executive pay fiasco. In 2021, the company was sued by California for fostering a work environment rife with sexual harassment and discrimination, the disastrous corporate response to which compounded Blizzard’s ongoing pipeline issues and the widespread perception that its online games are in decline. Multiple state and federal agencies are investigating the company as employees unionize and call for Bobby Kotick’s resignation. As of 2022, the company is being acquired by no less than Microsoft.
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