After three years of turbulent development and murky promises, Overwatch 2 finally came out this week as an early access-style release. However, while many are excited to get their hands on the follow-up to one of the most beloved games of the 2010s, one particular aspect of it is drawing fire from the game’s fans: the decision to lock many of the original game’s heroes behind a match limit for new players.
Players who haven’t played Overwatch 1 will be required to notch 100 matches in order to select all of the first game’s heroes, from Ana to Zenyatta. According to Blizzard, this is all part of the studio’s “First Time User Experience” plan, which also involves locking basic features like in-game chat and competitive matches to new users until they complete certain milestones, such as winning a certain number of games. However, while I understand the resistance to this move, I ultimately think it’s a reasonable one–if not an outright positive for the game.
In theory, I can understand why veteran players are annoyed by this lockdown. The original crop of heroes are cultural icons that extend far beyond the reach of multiplayer gaming–even if you haven’t ever played an Overwatch match, you probably know D.Va, Roadhog, and Tracer. Players coming to the series for the first time are likely excited to try out the likes of Genji and Hanzo for the first time. And especially considering that Blizzard decided to permanently shutter Overwatch 1 prior to this release, this is the only way you can play those fun kits anymore–it’s not like you can go back to the old game for a nostalgic thrill.