Blizzard announced that "Overwatch 2" has surpassed 25 million players in the first 10 days of launch, after a twisty launch week that included repeated server problems (open in new tab) and bloated player queues.

"Since launch, the number of players per day has nearly tripled from the peak of the original "Overwatch."

Normally such numbers are not that surprising for a massive free-to-play shooter launch, but the road to "Overwatch 2" has been anything but ordinary. Despite being branded as an entirely new game, "Overwatch 2" is largely just an expansion of the original game, and Blizzard spent years trying to explain what the "2" in "Overwatch 2" actually means, leading to confusion and frustration ( Open in new tab).

In the weeks leading up to the launch, Blizzard introduced a number of changes to the original "Overwatch 2," including locking new heroes behind battle passes (opens in new tab), introducing expensive cosmetic bundles, and new account requirements to unlock old heroes during 100 matches (opens in new tab). The skepticism about the need for "Overwatch 2" was deepened further as the changes, which were destined to be disliked by "Overwatch" players, were explained in detail.

With all the bad news and the general Internet dislike of Activision, many called it a "dead game" even before its release. As it turns out, many people are playing "Overwatch 2" and it has surpassed the peak of the original version. Free is a long way off, as we have seen with the relaunch of previously paid games such as "Rocket League" (open in new tab) and "The Fall Guys" (open in new tab).

I don't mean to speak for all 25 million people, but my friends and I are overjoyed with the core redesign that made us all nervous when we first heard about it. Reviewer Tyler Kolp has been more critical so far (open in new tab), calling "Overwatch 2" a "messy sequel that tries to erase one of the best shooters of the last decade."