Overwatch 2 brought a lot of changes to the team-based first-person shooter. In addition to making games 5v5 instead of 6v6 and adding a few more heroes to the roster, it also made a controversial move to a free-to-play model.
Previously, fans of the series could purchase the game for a one-time fee and have access to all of the original skins and cosmetics unlockable for free. However, players could also spend money on loot boxes if they chose to do so. With the change to free-to-play, some players are calling out Blizzard and the astronomical cost for new players to acquire all the old Overwatch cosmetics – to the tune of $12,000.
Old Overwatch Cosmetics Fetch Heavy $12,000 Price Tag
Recently, a Reddit user named u/loliscoolyay4me posted to the r/Overwatch subreddit that it would cost over $12,000 for new players to unlock all the previously obtainable cosmetics from the first game.
While this number may seem astronomical, u/loliscoolyay4me further elaborated, “To put it into perspective, all of these unlocks cost ~1.4 MILLION Credits in Overwatch 2. Since you can only earn 60 credits per week from “Weekly Challenges,” it would take ~450 YEARS to get all of the OW1 cosmetics in OW2 without spending real money…”
Overwatch 2 Skins are not cheap, either–with new Overwatch 2 Legendary skins running 1,900 Credits, or–a little under $20.
Of course, there are those who think that Blizzard should not have made the choice to go free-to-play. However, there’s no doubt that making the game more accessible will attract new players. What remains to be seen, however, is if this monetization model will ultimately work out for the new Overwatch 2 game.
Until then, players can continue to play the game for free, as the skins have only a cosmetic effect and are not required for players to perform better in Overwatch 2.
See our Overwatch 2 Section for more Overwatch 2 content.
