Overwatch 2 players slam Blizzard’s “disrespectful” move to give away premium Mercy skin

Overwatch 2 players are criticizing Blizzard’s “disrespectful” move to give away a premium Mercy skin after having previously sold it in the store.

Ever since Overwatch transitioned to Overwatch 2, the shift meant a new monetization model for Blizzard’s hero shooter. Moving away from a paid game with loot boxes, Overwatch is now a free game with a skin store. 

And with that new store, it means getting to buy skins you like, however, it also means Blizzard is mostly in control of the price and availability. 

This has never been more clear than with a recent Mercy Owl Guardian skin. Having previously been sold in the store, devs are now giving it away for free, and fans aren’t happy.

The Owl Guardian Mercy skin has been around for a while, since January 2023 to be exact, and has seen its rotations in the in-game store ever since. Most recently, it came back with a higher price tag, with a 100-coin markup. 

However, after the latest store refresh, the devs have seen fit to bring back the skin once again, though this time, not for sale but for free. Announced on September 21, the skin is now free to obtain for players with a Prime Gaming subscription. 

Players have not taken the news well early on, as Overwatch streamer Skiesti said: “Selling this skin (or any skin) in the shop and then making it available literally a few weeks later through Amazon Prime is… Such a disrespectful decision.” 

And players on the Mercy Main subreddit also shared the same sentiment. “Well now I regret buying it in that bundle a while back,” a player commented on a thread. 

“Never paying for a skin again. It’ll just be given out as freebies at some point or another,” wrote another.

Although the skin is not entirely “free”, if you just so happen to already be paying a Prime subscription for something else, it might as well feel like it.