![]() Attracting new players is, of course, a major reason for this launch the premium up-front payment model of the original Overwatch arguably stunted its player base growth compared to games like Fortnite, so Blizzard hopes to see a large influx of new players when Overwatch 2 arrives as a free download.īeing a big, high-profile franchise launching in a period when tumbleweeds are rolling across the AAA release schedule will no doubt help to drive a lot of new people to check out Overwatch next week and in the weeks to come – which will be great for Blizzard, but will also bring its own problems. Judging from the reporting and online discussions around the game, that experiment has hit a few bumps in the past week, thanks to the unveiling of the First Time User Experience (FTUE) for those coming to Overwatch 2 as new players, rather than continuing players of the original game. ![]() It won’t make for such an entertaining time-lapse video, but it’s a fascinating experiment, and with the launch set for next Tuesday, the experiment is happening in real-time right now. Blizzard’s goal is similar – it wants to make a gigantic change to its service offering, without disrupting the experiences of its customers. Blizzard is attempting something extremely complex here, turning a $60 premium game with a large, active player base into a free-to-play game overnight.Įvery time I read about it I’m reminded of the time-lapse video of Shibuya Station that went viral around the world a few years ago, showing how engineers reconfigured two major train lines to connect them up on new platforms in the space of a single night, without any disruption to either the morning or evening train services. I’ve written before about how Overwatch 2 is, from a business perspective, the most interesting game of the year – a complete root and branch overhaul of the business model of a successful live service game masquerading as the launch of a sequel. And then there’s Overwatch 2.īlizzard is attempting something complex, turning a premium game with a large player base into a free-to-play game overnight There’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which seems like a guaranteed blockbuster there’s Gotham Knights, which could really go either way (after the critical and commercial failure of Square Enix’ Avengers game, I don’t think any superhero title can be considered a slam dunk, with the possible exception of Sony’s Spider-Man series). Nintendo still has a strong holiday quarter on the cards, with Bayonetta 3 and Pokemon Scarlet / Violet giving it solid pitches at two very different parts of the Switch demographic, while Sony has a sure-fire hit in God of War Ragnarok in November.īeyond those platform exclusives, however, there are only a handful of big titles still slated for the upcoming months. ![]() ![]() As the release slate of major games for the remainder of the year continues to thin out – the latest casualty being Ubisoft’s pirate-themed naval combat game Skull & Bones, which has slipped back to March – increased attention inevitably focuses on what’s left in the line-up. ![]()
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