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[Dreavus]

Wow in that Kotaku article they actually sound sort of reluctant, or at least hesitant, after the backlash.

If they do decide to change it, I hope they go the CS:GO route and just charge 15-20$, they can create a more robust microtransaction system (that isn't intrusive) later on, and make bank off their large playerbase.

This worries me tbh. If they default to hero unlocks and weekly rotations (despite it going against their switching philosophy) I don't know if I'll bother with the game. I can't believe some people are pushing for this.

Heck, if you just pretend it's a f2p model that's like 2 bucks a hero, which is likely way better than whatever scheme they cook up in order to make the game free. Really hoping they stick to their guns here.

 

[Strider]

This worries me tbh. If they default to hero unlocks and weekly rotations (despite it going against their switching philosophy) I don't know if I'll bother with the game. I can't believe some people are pushing for this.

Heck, if you just pretend it's a f2p model that's like 2 bucks a hero, which is likely way better than whatever scheme they cook up in order to make the game free. Really hoping they stick to their guns here.

This.

What we got was way cheaper than what it would've been considering the price of other Blizz f2p games.

$2 a hero is good value and I was looking forward to owning them all day 1.

 

[Card Boy]

Only reason this will go anywhere is because of the Blizzard name behind it, otherwise expect a Evolve or Titanfall flop situation. Fuck $60 MP only games, only SW Battlefront will do any good on consoles.

 

[traveler]

Only reason this will go anywhere is because of the Blizzard name behind it, otherwise expect a Evolve or Titanfall flop situation. Fuck $60 MP only games, only SW Battlefront will do any good on consoles.

Why?

 

[demosthenes]

Only reason this will go anywhere is because of the Blizzard name behind it, otherwise expect a Evolve or Titanfall flop situation. Fuck $60 MP only games, only SW Battlefront will do any good on consoles.

Didn't Evolve tank b/c it was $60 and then had $$$ worth of gameplay DLC right out the door?

This just looks like TF2 on steroids and considering I put 2350828952 hours into TF2, I'll gladly pay $60.

 

[PatzCU]

This pay model is really disappointing and has completely turned me off of Overwatch (and this is coming from a lifelong Blizzard fan). What is Blizzard's intention with this game? Do they want an esport contender? Is this just a one and done shooter we are supposed to play for half a year and forget about?

I simply can't believe this game (supposedly Titan) sat in development hell for the better part of a decade and this is all they have to show for it. A $40 pay to play game released on both PCs and consoles with little room for growth or support. With the amount of time it takes for Blizzard to develop a single game, let alone a brand new IP, it's just crazy to me that they are implementing such a stagnant business/development model.

Have they learned NOTHING from successes like Hearthstone, LoL, Dota 2, CS:GO or TF2? If you're going to invest so much time and money into a platform, the barriers to entry for players need to be low. Draw people in with a F2P game and support it with microtransactions along the way. This is especially important for an MP ONLY game as it both creates a large community and keeps the community's interest with new content.

Releasing a MP only game for $40 and then proceeding to "support" the game months/years after release with paid DLC, fragmenting the player base with each subsequent DLC, is a surefire way to release a total flop in 2015's online gaming environment. Look at Titanfall as a prime example of what not to do. The only way games like Call of Duty get away with this is because they have two development studios staggering yearly releases of the IP. There is no way in hell Blizzard can handle that kind of development cycle.

Super disappointing and a total turnoff. Blizzard is certainly going to make a large sum of money when Overwatch is released but they aren't going to enjoy the benefits of an enduring cash flow seen by Dota 2, LoL or CS:GO. Unfortunately, that means players aren't going to enjoy an enduring multiplayer community past the 6-12 month mark.

I really thought Blizz was seeing the light with the Hearthstone and HotS business models but this will just be another Blizz IP, like Starcraft and Diablo, that fizzles out after a few months (save the few diehard fans that keep them alive).

 

[DeaviL]

I remember people shitting on games for being F2P.
Good times.

Honestly, i'd recommend Blizzard to have a trial edition of this game.
3 or more heroes per week rotation or something like that.
Steal some ideas from F2P but keep it a single fee game.

I immediately paid Smite's single fee after having fun with it, so it's be exactly the same for me.


You also can't compare this to Valve games, owner of the biggest digital store on PC.
And Blizzards battle.net, getting it's first shooter ever.
I don't think it's that sustainable to do here. Also, CSgo has a one time fee too.

 

[Beowulf28]

Have they said anything about post-release map support? I hope they go the Halo 5 route and use microtransactions (cosmetics) to support free map packs so they don't end up segmenting the player base.

 

[-MD-]

I preordered by accident because Blizz's paypal method checked me out right away without any kinda overview but whatever, I was going to buy this either way as it's probably my most anticipated game outside of Yooka-Laylee.

 

[TyrantGuardian]

You also can't compare this to Valve games, owner of the biggest digital store on PC.

Can you compare it to Path of Exile? That game has literally only cosmetic/stash tabs as f2p elements. Everything gameplay related is 100% free. This includes every single (HUGE) expansion set they have ever released. Please, stop apologizing for Blizzard. They can afford to launch this game with a Dota 2 model and it would pay off like crazy in the long run, but for whatever reason they don't have the foresight to have some balls and just do it.


v---It was a general statement, not specifically aimed at that post. Not sure why you are being rude either but ok.

 

[Squire]

Can you compare it to Path of Exile? That game has literally only cosmetic/stash tabs as f2p elements. Everything gameplay related is 100% free. This includes every single (HUGE) expansion set they have ever released. Please, stop apologizing for Blizzard. They can afford to launch this game with a Dota 2 model and it would pay off like crazy in the long run, but for whatever reason they don't have the foresight to have some balls and just do it.

Wow, where do you see an apology in that posters post?

Please, get over yourself.

Some of the posts this weekend. My god.

 

[Comfort Jones]

Didn't Evolve tank b/c it was $60 and then had $$$ worth of gameplay DLC right out the door?

This just looks like TF2 on steroids and considering I put 2350828952 hours into TF2, I'll gladly pay $60.

Thing is TF2 was part of a bundle of games and sold it for a good deal less then 60 dollars for a long time before it even went f2p.

 

[Seiniyta]

Didn't Evolve tank b/c it was $60 and then had $$$ worth of gameplay DLC right out the door?

This just looks like TF2 on steroids and considering I put 2350828952 hours into TF2, I'll gladly pay $60.

There's a couple of key differences between Evolve and Overwatch which makes the comparison really terrible actually:

1. Evolve relied heavily on the players and monster being around the same skill level which unfortunately was rarely ever the case. When it was. Evolve was super tense and really fun actually. Unfortunately, most of the time it was just boring with it being a walking simulator

2. The game had a terrible menu structure with a million loading times. I'm fine with no server browser if it searches games fast and the connection is fast. But that wasn't the case. I think it went like this: Searches for game -> load screen -> choose preference - wait on players -> loading screen where it determines the role you're assigned to -> choose which hero of the chosen role you want to play -> loading screen -> opening cutscene of the map into actually playing the map. That was just awful.

3. The dlc was announced before the game itself was announced if I recall. Which already put the game in a very negative light.

4. All the maps looked more or less the same, recylcing a lot of assets. The maps were well designed, but were just too similar looking. Compare that to Overwatch where all the maps have a very unique identify to them.

5.You couldn't play with your favourite character most of the time because what you choose was only a % chance to get that role and you had to select different roles. Sometimes you even end up with the class you like the least. That's just not fun.

 

[Ikuu]

You also can't compare this to Valve games, owner of the biggest digital store on PC.
And Blizzards battle.net, getting it's first shooter ever.
I don't think it's that sustainable to do here. Also, CSgo has a one time fee too.

Yea ActiBlizzard are struggling in comparison, I mean they only have CoD and WoW and just spent $6bil. But they really can't afford a Dota like model.

 

[Concept17]

Only reason this will go anywhere is because of the Blizzard name behind it, otherwise expect a Evolve or Titanfall flop situation. Fuck $60 MP only games, only SW Battlefront will do any good on consoles.

I'll never understand this mentality. I get upwards of 10x or more time played with multiplayer than SP only. If you don't like MP games, don't buy them.

 

[Strakt]

Only reason this will go anywhere is because of the Blizzard name behind it, otherwise expect a Evolve or Titanfall flop situation. Fuck $60 MP only games, only SW Battlefront will do any good on consoles.

SW Battlefront is a snooze fest. Beta was insanely boring after a couple hours. Also their $50 season pass is a joke.

 

[-MD-]

Yea ActiBlizzard are struggling in comparison, I mean they only have CoD and WoW and just spent $6bil. But they really can't afford a Dota like model.

Bnet isn't Steam.

SW Battlefront is a snooze fest. Beta was insanely boring after a couple hours.

It'll do well because of the brand and the casual crowd seems to be eating it up but yeah I agree, the beta was boring me to tears a few hours into it.

 

[TyrantGuardian]

Bnet isn't Steam.

So what? Dota isn't a loss leader for Valve, it's a hugely profitable game. They aren't solely making money by people using Steam, they are making money by people buying stuff in Dota.

 

[MasterMongoose]

SW Battlefront is a snooze fest. Beta was insanely boring after a couple hours. Also their $50 season pass is a joke.

Why do people act like this is a new thing? Battlefield 3 and 4 both had $50 season passes. Call of Duty has them (sometimes differently named) since Modern Warfare 2 (?). It's common practice for AAA shooters.

I'll still give this a try sometime but Giantbomb's gameplay of it has me feeling a little lukewarm still.

 

[RandomExpletive]

So what? Dota isn't a loss leader for Valve, it's a hugely profitable game. They aren't solely making money by people using Steam, they are making money by people buying stuff in Dota.

But they had YEARS of data and experience from TF2 to know that going F2P from the start with Dota2 was viable. Not to mention the Dota IP itself.

Blizzard MAY WELL be capable of launching Overwatch F2P, all supported with microtransactions on skins and the like. But I can't imagine Activision/shareholders/etc would like taking a risk THAT big, especially on a new IP (even if the buzz around the game was pretty great)

 

[Yushi]

Dota 2 , CSGO and TF2 still has RNG microtransaction with the key's and boxes. Freaking CSGO you pay 20$ for the game and have to RNG the boxes in who you get something out of it. I cannot believe people want RNG microtransfaction for cosmetic. If you buy it off someone, Valve still gets a cut of that money.

TF2 took 5 months before the first content patch came out, which was a payload map with Medic achievement (+ 3 weap) You needed to do the achievement to get those weapon, then by the time the hats came about, you need to farm material to craft RNG to get what you want. Remember the gold wrench? Woot more RNG

Dota 2's cosmetic are mostly now community driven with the exception of the 40$ Arcana's. Most of the cooler stuff are from RNG boxes.

Why does Vales microtransaction work so much much? Cuz it's mostly gambling. Look at damn CSGO streams, if it aint a tournament, people are watching streamers open 100$'s of boxes.

 

[ScepticMatt]

Dota 2 is an exception because it has steam to fallback on.

Valve makes more average revenue per user than league of legends.
But both only work on the back of a massive user base. Dota 2 makes ~$1.5/user/year.
(That was before compendiums)

According to Superdata research.

 

[Pyros_Eien]

Valve makes more average revenue per user than league of legends.
But both only work on the back of a massive user base. Dota 2 makes ~$1.5/user/year.
(That was before compendiums)

According to Superdata research.

They also probably spend less on making the cosmetics, since most of them are done by the community, and while they pay the creators a % of the sales, it's still free stuff for them and they're getting most of the money.

 

[Altima]

Seeing no reason to go F2P in highly anticipated game like this one.

They wont bother making a lot of server for millions of people and more than half of them are not going to pay them a single penny.

 

[Risible]

I realized something that's a big problem for me with this game. I'm wondering if it's just me.

There's no real indication that I'm taking a lot of damage. Often times I'm surprised when I die because it feels like I wasn't even getting hit and then I see the replay and see I was getting shot and not realizing it.

I feel it needs some more indication that damage is being taken. Anyone else?

 

[Strakt]

I realized something that's a big problem for me with this game. I'm wondering if it's just me.

There's no real indication that I'm taking a lot of damage. Often times I'm surprised when I die because it feels like I wasn't even getting hit and then I see the replay and see I was getting shot and not realizing it.

I feel it needs some more indication that damage is being taken. Anyone else?

same...

Spoiler

jk.. not in beta =(

 

[SwolBro]

if it doesn't have dedicated servers i'm not buying.

 

[JPS Kai]

I had someone preorder the PS4 CE at work on Friday then come in to cancel it today after hearing what was in it. Maybe I'll try to preorder it next time I go in if it's still available.

Spoiler

Only one per console per store, just like the Juggernog BO3 edition.

 

[Pyros_Eien]

I realized something that's a big problem for me with this game. I'm wondering if it's just me.

There's no real indication that I'm taking a lot of damage. Often times I'm surprised when I die because it feels like I wasn't even getting hit and then I see the replay and see I was getting shot and not realizing it.

I feel it needs some more indication that damage is being taken. Anyone else?

There are indications, red bars in the direction of the shot and getting shot noises. They can be flooded in the constant spam of UI overload though, but they're there. Though depending on the char you're playing, you might also be dying instantly. Some heroes die in one headshot to a large part of the cast(Zenyatta or Tracer for example). Hell they even die to bodyshots from Hanzo/Widow in one shot if they're fully charged I'm pretty sure(Widow for sure, don't know if Hanzo is one or two), so yeah sometimes you'll just die instantly.

I'm never surprised when I'm dying, just surprised at how fast I die sometimes, but then generally the replay show that there was a Widow or McCree sniping me at the same time when I was bullying a support.

 

[RandomExpletive]

Some heroes die in one headshot to a large part of the cast(Zenyatta or Tracer for example). Hell they even die to bodyshots from Hanzo/Widow in one shot if they're fully charged I'm pretty sure(Widow for sure, don't know if Hanzo is one or two), so yeah sometimes you'll just die instantly.

I'm not sure of the actual numbers, but a damaged-amped McCree or Widow can kill most of the cast in 1-2 shots max

 

[Altima]

I realized something that's a big problem for me with this game. I'm wondering if it's just me.

There's no real indication that I'm taking a lot of damage. Often times I'm surprised when I die because it feels like I wasn't even getting hit and then I see the replay and see I was getting shot and not realizing it.

I feel it needs some more indication that damage is being taken. Anyone else?

Your characters will scream if you are getting low but some characters has very low hp and they die before you notice it.

 

[Pyros_Eien]

I'm not sure of the actual numbers, but a damaged-amped McCree or Widow can kill most of the cast in 1-2 shots max

I don't mean damage amp, I mean a widow with a normal body shot will kill Zenyatta in one hit on her own. What I meant by fully charged is the small ~.5sec charge after firing/scoping that she has to wait for full damage. This does 165damage, which is more than a full health Tracer or Zenyatta. Looking at numbers, Hanzo "only" does 125, so you'd live with 15hp. That makes playing Zenyatta against Widow in general pretty frustrating as you'll repeatedly get one shot if you peek out when she's not getting harassed heavily or if she has her ult up(which is quite often it seems).

With headshots being double damage though, a lot of heroes can one shot with a headshot on many other heroes. This makes it hard to notice you're getting shot at if you take a headshot right away or like on the 2nd shot which near instantly kills you(for example S:76 hitting you with a rocket+headshot at the same time, McCree on autofire hitting a headshot etc).

 

[KojiKnight]

Only reason this will go anywhere is because of the Blizzard name behind it, otherwise expect a Evolve or Titanfall flop situation. Fuck $60 MP only games, only SW Battlefront will do any good on consoles.

The game is $40. $60 is the Origins bundle which includes a bunch of skins and random WoW and other blizzard game knick-knacks.

 

[Squire]

The game is $40. $60 is the Origins bundle which includes a bunch of skins and random WoW and other blizzard game knick-knacks.

I don't agree with that poster's sentiment, but if you're playing on console, it's a $60 game.

I really think people holding their breath for a $40 release on consoles, be it physical and/or digital, are going to suffocate before Blizzard announced it.

 

[Khilandros]

If only the Origins Edition was $60 for me, but with the amazing Canadian dollar, I have to pay $80...I'll fork it over for sure, but damn does it hurt.

 

[Aaron]

Why?

Because they lack longevity. Any paid multiplayer game is going to be competing with juggernauts like Call of Duty for players, and the only way to keep people playing, and paying for expansions, is to have that expansive userbase. While it's been demonstrated over and over, especially in the MMO space, that going free to play snares a much wider sweep of players, and is immensely profitable. Blizzard could easily do both and have the benefits of both. Even the players who never spend a dime keep the userbase healthy, and keep the paying players happy because there's no waiting on a game.

Personally, unless I get into the beta to try it out, I'm not going to fork over $40-60 on another potential Evolve.

 

[jediyoshi]

Personally, unless I get into the beta to try it out, I'm not going to fork over $40-60 on another potential Evolve.

Damn, I love where we've gotten to a point where comparisons to Evolve start and stop at it being a $60 MP only game, and not the part where their asymmetrical MP experiment completely failed in a vacuum.

 

[thetrin]

I was going to buy the retail version either way (I like the extras that usually come with retail versions of F2P games).

And based on what I played of Overwatch at PAX East? I'm definitely in.

 

[AESplusF]

This worries me tbh. If they default to hero unlocks and weekly rotations (despite it going against their switching philosophy) I don't know if I'll bother with the game. I can't believe some people are pushing for this.

I really don't think they would lock heroes behind a paywall, it completely goes against everything they've been saying, they made the game B2P because of that particular issue in the first place.

 

[jediyoshi]

Square Enix publishing Overwatch for PS4 in Japan

Kaplan announcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1chuoMBtsg

Japanese dubbed cinematic trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK3SlwMiB-c

 

[crinale]

Square Enix publishing Overwatch for PS4 in Japan

Kaplan announcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1chuoMBtsg

Japanese dubbed cinematic trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK3SlwMiB-c

Western game localization only for PS4.. but it isn't surprising anymore.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

This pay model is really disappointing and has completely turned me off of Overwatch (and this is coming from a lifelong Blizzard fan).

The pay model? You mean buying the game? You have to buy most games, this is no different than any of those. Not every game works as f2p, they generally have to be designed with that idea in mind and they simply didn't do that. What's so egregious about charging for a game? Do you feel like they owe it to you for free or something?

Have they learned NOTHING from successes like Hearthstone, LoL, Dota 2, CS:GO or TF2? If you're going to invest so much time and money into a platform, the barriers to entry for players need to be low. Draw people in with a F2P game and support it with microtransactions along the way. This is especially important for an MP ONLY game as it both creates a large community and keeps the community's interest with new content.

Tf2 was out and thriving for four years before it went f2p. CS:GO has never been free. Hearthstone is a card game. Dota 2 is a huuuuuuge exception. And they said they didn't want to have to balance the game around the HotS/LoL model because it's not that type of game

Releasing a MP only game for $40 and then proceeding to "support" the game months/years after release with paid DLC, fragmenting the player base with each subsequent DLC, is a surefire way to release a total flop in 2015's online gaming environment.

You're just talking out of your ass and making assumptions at this point.

I really thought Blizz was seeing the light with the Hearthstone and HotS business models but this will just be another Blizz IP, like Starcraft and Diablo, that fizzles out after a few months

Literally what?

 

[maouvin]

I don't agree with that poster's sentiment, but if you're playing on console, it's a $60 game.

There's nothing preventing the release of a $40 digital release on consoles closer to/on launch, though. Not very nice for those who preordered by then, of course.

 

[Squire]

There's nothing preventing the release of a $40 digital release on consoles closer to/on launch, though. Not very nice for those who preordered by then, of course.

There isn't, but they know how they want to sell the game starting out right now.

I really think if consoles were getting a $40 option it would've been on that BlizzCon slide. It's highly unlikely they're just gonna decide to give people a cheaper option in the 25th hour. They've already done the math.

 

[NumberThree]

Square Enix publishing Overwatch for PS4 in Japan

Kaplan announcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1chuoMBtsg

Japanese dubbed cinematic trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK3SlwMiB-c

While I understand why it's done, I still find it a bit weird that a game made by Activision Blizzard is being published by Square Enix.

 

[JPS Kai]

While I understand why it's done, I still find it a bit weird that a game made by Activision Blizzard is being published by Square Enix.

Same reason Call of Duty is published by Square Enix.

 

[Vilam]

Reading this thread is like taking crazy pills. People advocating for F2P? The info that it's a full priced product is music to my ears.

 

[eFKac]

Square Enix publishing Overwatch for PS4 in Japan

Kaplan announcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1chuoMBtsg

Japanese dubbed cinematic trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK3SlwMiB-c

Interesting. Was actually expecting SCEJA to publish it, Acti been pushing that lately with Blops 3 and Destiny.

 

[Cynar]

This pay model is really disappointing and has completely turned me off of Overwatch (and this is coming from a lifelong Blizzard fan). What is Blizzard's intention with this game? Do they want an esport contender? Is this just a one and done shooter we are supposed to play for half a year and forget about?

I simply can't believe this game (supposedly Titan) sat in development hell for the better part of a decade and this is all they have to show for it. A $40 pay to play game released on both PCs and consoles with little room for growth or support. With the amount of time it takes for Blizzard to develop a single game, let alone a brand new IP, it's just crazy to me that they are implementing such a stagnant business/development model.

Have they learned NOTHING from successes like Hearthstone, LoL, Dota 2, CS:GO or TF2? If you're going to invest so much time and money into a platform, the barriers to entry for players need to be low. Draw people in with a F2P game and support it with microtransactions along the way. This is especially important for an MP ONLY game as it both creates a large community and keeps the community's interest with new content.

Releasing a MP only game for $40 and then proceeding to "support" the game months/years after release with paid DLC, fragmenting the player base with each subsequent DLC, is a surefire way to release a total flop in 2015's online gaming environment. Look at Titanfall as a prime example of what not to do. The only way games like Call of Duty get away with this is because they have two development studios staggering yearly releases of the IP. There is no way in hell Blizzard can handle that kind of development cycle.

Super disappointing and a total turnoff. Blizzard is certainly going to make a large sum of money when Overwatch is released but they aren't going to enjoy the benefits of an enduring cash flow seen by Dota 2, LoL or CS:GO. Unfortunately, that means players aren't going to enjoy an enduring multiplayer community past the 6-12 month mark.

I really thought Blizz was seeing the light with the Hearthstone and HotS business models but this will just be another Blizz IP, like Starcraft and Diablo, that fizzles out after a few months (save the few diehard fans that keep them alive).

Really? Really?

 

[VariantX]

Reading this thread is like taking crazy pills. People advocating for F2P? The info that it's a full priced product is music to my ears.

Yeah, was excited at the prospect of buying a game and not having stuff gated off behind paywalls. Didn't know this would actually be a problem since it's a traditional product and its being sold for $20 less than the standard price for new software.