Overwatch 2 is finally allowing players to unlock all heroes for free, however, this new change comes with one major downside.
Two years on from the release of Overwatch 2, a sequel that put new heroes behind a paywall, devs have now pivoted back to the original game’s model. As announced on March 19, all heroes will now be unlockable for everyone at no extra cost.
Previously, certain heroes were locked behind the game’s premium Battle Pass, meaning players would have to front up the money in order to unlock said new hero right away. Now, Blizzard have confirmed that the upcoming hero Venture will be unlockable for free and that all previous heroes that required some sort of payment to unlock will also be free to use as well.
While this move from Blizzard has been almost universally praised by fans, it does come with one major downside that may be worth your attention.
All Future Heroes will be FREE in #Overwatch2 👤🔓Heroes will no longer be included in the Battle Pass, all previous and future heroes will be made available to everyone in Season 10! pic.twitter.com/C9JuC3Lts0
— Overwatch Cavalry (@OWCavalry) March 19, 2024
In a recent interview with GamesRadar, game director Aaron Keller revealed that players will not be compensated or refunded in any capacity for previously bought heroes. Stating in the interview, “We’re not currently planning on gifts or on refunds for players that bought previous battle passes.”
Therefore, players who previously purchased the Premium Battle Pass or dished out real cash to unlock heroes will not be given any money back despite the change.
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While most Overwatch 2 fans have focused more on the positive aspects of this pivot, some have also pointed out this omission. One player commented on a Reddit thread discussing the changes, “Well now that they have everyone’s money, they might as well seem generous.”
Another Overwatch player elaborated further on how this change, while welcomed greatly, is almost a case of too little, too late.
“Yeah this was always going to become a thing they just wanted to squeeze every penny out of us first… I wish I could be more excited but this is one of many crumbs they’re going to start showcasing as brand new features.”
Given this new change has only now just been announced by Overwatch 2’s devs, we’ll be sure to keep you updated on how the game continues to grow with Season 10 and if there are any changes on how the process of unlocking all heroes for free operates moving forward.