The transition of "Overwatch 2" (opens in new tab) to free-to-play has shaken up many of the things longtime fans have grown accustomed to. One of these is a new way to acquire hero merchandise. Gone are the loot boxes filled with random voice lines, sprays, and skins, and the new norm is the Battle Pass, where everyone gets the same thing. However, the new reward system is not the most popular, and that's a problem Blizzard is aware of.

In a developer blog (opens in new tab), new executive producer Jared Neuss noted the game's current handling of rewards and its poor reputation for a sense of progression since the "big shift" to free-to-play. Neuss said, "There's a lot to say here, but I think it's good to start by saying that we're not entirely happy with the way everything currently feels." 'Doing lots of Daily/Weekly Challenges and getting new ones for our favorite heroes is great! But I also recognize that there are opportunities for improvement in today's experience that I need to focus on."

Noyce said that the team wants players to "feel more rewarded" and to "pursue new achievements beyond competitive rank and battle pass levels. This means that some changes, while still relatively minor in the short term, are in the works. The biggest news is the return of earnable event skins: when Overwatch 2 debuted its Halloween event, many seemed to be disappointed that Blizzard had removed the tradition of including at least one skin that could be earned by completing an event challenge disappointed that, according to Neuss, since Season 2, "each event has a skin that can be earned by playing, in addition to the other cosmetic rewards they already offer."

What is a little less exciting is Neuss saying that Blizzard will continue to supply things through Twitch drops. While I'm not necessarily in favor of providing cosmetics through third-party platforms, it's an easy way to access in-game rewards for those who remember to keep a random stream on low volume for a few hours.

Longer-term plans are looking to make more significant changes; Neuss said that for Season 3 and beyond, Blizzard is looking for "a mix of battle path changes, more interesting challenges, and a more exciting play-focused progression system. They are looking to make some of these changes." We'll be able to talk about some of these changes soon.

"But other changes may take longer to fix.

The unfortunate reality is that many of these changes will still revolve around expensive cosmetic stores and battle path progressions. However, I do appreciate the attempt to rework what is currently in place; I've worked my way through Overwatch 2's Battle Pass (open in new tab) and found its rewards system incredibly frustrating. It's such a miserable sense of progression that players wish loot boxes would return. Not that replacing one looting monetization system with another is the solution, but it would be nice to have a little in-game currency in the Battle Pass or some way to earn small in-game rewards.