The Dark Monetization of Overwatch 2

[@randoidgames1004]

calling it. soilder buff mid season right before mythic weapon release

[@d4mephisto]

this is a depressingly likely scenario lmao

[@drewc8052]

Bro if I need a mythic to get a soldier buff I don’t care man just buff him

[@shaneh3109]

Not complaining...soilder needs a buff tbh

[@ccaesers]

@@marcovazquez-ou2pvbecause if they need to buff him to sell a skin i rather not

[@Mikuroko69]

​@@marcovazquez-ou2pv it is a bad thing. It means that they will only buff a hero when they're about to receive a cosmetic. Regardless if they need one or not. Like genji and bastion. They probably won't get buffed until they also get something.

[@leemo1439]

How is this even a question. If they are gutting or buffing characters to sell skins then the game has ZERO integrity and balance is meaningless. Is that hard to understand?

[@d4mephisto]

@@tryingtochangemyways5074 *mei mythic skin releases with the new season* *mei gets balance changes, -2 seconds on wall cooldown, and she can once again freeze enemies with primary fire, and iceblock heals for the same amount over a shorter duration* *season ends and mei gets giganerfed into the ground after 32408203498 people paid for her mythic skin* I am a fortune teller, and I can tell the future. KEKW

[@shaneh3109]

Stop buying skins then

[@funwalkthroughs1285]

@@shaneh3109no. Have an ethical balance philosophy

[@musicxxa6678]

it's extremely obvious that the game has ZERO integrity. it surprises me people don't think like that lol.

[@EmmaxoOCE]

@@shaneh3109a lot of us aren’t.

[@elko1860]

most egregious example is them nerfing genji immediately after the mythic was no longer purchasable in s1

[@veretxnerd983]

🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 tru3

[@spence6195]

Buffs/nerfs depend on Skins in the Shop. What a great game

[@cheeseblast]

No shot this is just now being realized. We went from having a hero shooter to having a shop simulator. Value your time, which is hard to tell a Raid player, but want better for yourselves.

[@TheFarslayer]

He started to play raid because of overwatch being shit

[@skandol8650]

Fr. I played like 3 games since season 13. I don't think I'll be back til 6v6 is out.

[@Peraliq]

my time is being valued i dont take this game seriously and hover around low master to high diamond and have fun for a free to play game. I feel like if you dont like how mid the game is, simply quit. Not everyone has so much invested time like samito or other content creators; and even necros swapped his content to leave behind mid.

[@shawngorski9714]

​​@@skandol8650​ 6v6 ain't saving the game, just play marvel rivals when it comes out lol Most the issues with the game since ow2 aren't even related to 6v6, sure some are but honest to God those issues could be fixed by good devs, the issue is the devs ain't good anymore... we all want blizzard polish but blizzard isn't blizzard anymore, because a company is the people so if you replace enough of the people who made the company great, then is it even the same company? Only in name imo... And I know they're nice people, I don't gotta be reminded they're nice people everytime they mess up, but sadly being nice people doesn't make a good game... well actually it can but you gotta be really nice like warframe devs where they constantly go above and beyond for the community because they care but blizzard devs treat the job more like a 9 to 5 which just doesn't cut it Inna creative Industry, sure treat your job like a 9 to 5 as a janitor or bus boy but not when you're creating art... So i don't think 6v6 is saving this game, because the entire structure and way the game is now run is different and thats what's gonna be missing plus they probably can't even balance 6v6 better than old team 4 which is gonna be a rude awakening when it comes out as true after they do make the swap to 6v6 😂

[@spence6195]

The shade 😂

[@sonderbain]

This game has absolutely no competitive integrity anymore. Gutting characters to sell other characters skins is diabolical.

[@PatrickArcato]

It's very american, like selling electric cars because you're the planet otherwise 😂

[@gobgrem777]

I've been saying Widow should get an infared laser, a big red gleam, or a sniper dot that shows where she's looking for like a year now; I'm so glad to hear it from you.

[@trfpvVT]

tf2 has it for the sniper, and what players do is just place the red dot in a non visible location. all adding a laser to widow will do is hurt her winrate in low ranks and no change in high ranks for those who can adapt

[@HoodzTm]

Aww someone has shit positioning

[@uhhhhhhhhh333]

@@HoodzTm SHES OP SHUT UP IM NOT BAD

[@mattholmes2318]

Halo 4 had this on the Binary Rifle, I believe

[@mirius4665]

@@trfpvVT better than nothing i guess

[@DoubleEm08]

The worst part is that despite pandering to these heroes and charging such high prices, the money doesn’t go back into the game. They still talk about limited resources and changes still take months to implement. And the balance is bad enough that the changes need to be reworked and changed again and again. It’s a terrible cycle.

[@EmmaxoOCE]

Well said. Everyone always cries “they need the money it’s a live service game” - PROVE to us they’re allocating that money meaningfully to make a better game, GAME PLAY wise, not cosmetic wise!

[@verguco6051]

i dont believe game is making good profit, is making profit but how much? i mean fortnite makes a shit ton of money and the game has a lot of content and updates, they know if they want more money they need to invest more on the game, is basic. blizzard and microsoft know game is a lost cause, no worth the effort to do anything, they are just milking the most money they can, thast why they now make collab skins every season, and anime collab skins, they know their public is a bunch of weeabos

[@Perdidu]

Deleting lootboxes and making everything be a micro transaction somehow made the game worse. Blizzard is really special i guess.

[@joshuacollins9316]

Actually this is false. Lootboxes did not bring in enough money, but were awesome since the player got so much for free. But because of this they had to stop development and focus on OW2. The microtransactions are actually the only way the game is able to bring in revenue, despite people not liking the prices. So there’s both a good and bad.

[@Perdidu]

@@joshuacollins9316 No, microtransactions are not the only way to bring revenue. The lootboxes were lucrative and Overwatch 1 was a comercial sucess. What made the game stop bringing in money and having new player's was the lack of updates and real changes for almost 3 year's. All of that for the sequel that was supposed to bring more money. And then they scrapped the PVE, deleted the first game and made everyone who paid before have to play this anti-consumer slop. You have to grind weeks to get a old legendary skin from OW1 for free.

[@joshuacollins9316]

@@Perdidu I’m sorry but this is factually correct. The lootboxes were not lucrative, blizzard has spoken about this multiple times about the issues with monetization for OW1. They were incredibly player friendly, but did not provide enough income for the game to continue development. Which is why they had to fill on shift to OW2. And abandon OW1. If the game was making enough money the way it was, then you can guarantee Activision/Blizzard would have kept focus on OW1. Did they handle it the right way, no Ofc not. But lootboxes were sadly not profitable enough to keep up a live service model the way the game was structured in OW1.

[@Fixer48]

overwatch 1 was so good it actually made good sales, and we got better treatment

[@Perdidu]

@@joshuacollins9316 Don't illude yourself my friend. Blizzard left the game in shambles for year's, which helped with the narrative that it was not profitable. Blizzard did not change to the microtransaction model to save the game like it was a "necessary evil". It was greed. Pure greed that ties with the period that OW2 had launched. They needed a way to make back all of the money they had spent on developing the PVE and to make it profitable with the oncoming fiasco that would be it's cancellation.

[@naw613]

Overwatch being cringe and greedy? What else is new

[@richardcrim3831]

I understand cringe but how is this greedy

[@richardcrim3831]

Blizzard has to make their money somehow, It is a free game after all and they're constantly updating it.

[@theelusivememe1772]

Yea it's really not bad compared to other games, everyone just wants everything for free

[@atari9477]

@@richardcrim3831 you cant but her skin by itself, you have to spend £30 to get it

[@kanz1287]

@@richardcrim3831 making money isn't the issue, it's the cost of it, like each mythic skin set costs almost the same as an entire game these days which is crazy. Overpriced af. Those who defend it are whales, period.

[@3_Michael_]

Ramm nerf when rein collab MHA bundle drops

[@nijah_r]

shit that's a good point

[@ChumBucketMindControlHelmet]

Fun fact Kiriko has 151 cosmetics now. That's more than some characters that have been in since launch in 2016

[@nhilist5774]

Damn that's insane

[@iPhenomenal27]

Damn I thought it be 15-20. But 151 holyy

[@ChumBucketMindControlHelmet]

@iPhenomenal27 Well, that's not just skins it's voice lines, highlight intros, and all that too, but she still has more than bastion, for example

[@iPhenomenal27]

@@ChumBucketMindControlHelmet oh still alot

[@Da5kone001]

they make skins/cosmetics based on hero popularity why shouldnt they?

[@TransformerMF]

as a bastion main, it is a little crazy the first ow2 bastion buffs come around the same time as the transformer collab

[@mofumofu9648]

1:40 the audacity of that widow to say "sombra already?" as if she wasnt playing the most annoying and oppressive hero in the game, basically making it a bore for both teams

[@Luke-v6p]

Why did we get another DPS mythic skin again? I thought they were doing a rotational thing. Three DPS mythic in the row was unexpected

[@sonkingritenow]

​@@Luke-v6p i think because of the prisms getting any mythic you want has made them stop rotating them

[@calus_bath_water]

Litterally the only time sombra is acceptable

[@mofumofu9648]

@@calus_bath_water i think that if you die to a sombra, its 100% your fault, because all support(except mercy) have really easy ways to survive and responde, this before s13 braindead rework that no one asked for. and i dont even play sombra lol

[@ytcmbt2505]

Maybe stop refusing to run only in a line? And maybe stop refusing auto piloting choke points? If Widow is obnoxious to you its because you play ow2 like a singleplayer game

[@Liquidice611]

Haven’t purchased a single skin. 25-50$ for some skin you can’t even see.

[@PatrickArcato]

Yeah that's part of the reason, at least in 3rd person game you can see what you spent on

[@spence6195]

Exactly. I only spent $40 on 4 battle passes. Never spending another dime in SkinWatch

[@homepress644]

They destroyed Hanzo and junkrats identity. They changed doomfist's identity. Why can't they do it to Widowmaker?

[@shafikkrisoondatt4002]

Technically Hanzo and junk got theirs back

[@sophisticatedsheep8178]

​​@@shafikkrisoondatt4002 hanzo did for everyone, junk only for like a 1/3rd of the cast

[@Fixer48]

forgot about sombra and ram

[@calus_bath_water]

Like atleast widowmaker deserves it

[@TrueYankeeFan]

​@@sophisticatedsheep8178TBH I'd be down for a Junkrat rework. Make him more like Demoman from TF2, a way better designed character.

[@burtonthegrape9217]

People keep saying you don't have to buy it but the problem is that they target addicts who will buy overpriced skins, 50 bucks for a weapon skin? $60 for a skin pack? You can't tell me that isn't wrong on so many levels

[@Zero-rj6re]

I mean at the end of the day they are a company doing business. League does the same thing. Call of duty does the same thing. The only difference is those games are bigger than Overwatch. Sure Overwatch was an esports game but there will be nothing that can take down league of legends and call of duty.

[@ghoulbuster1]

Not even Gacha games have such expensive skins.

[@cantbelieve5231]

Glances at Diablo Immortal. Ahhhhh

[@TooTrue22-24]

@@Zero-rj6reis that your attempt to excuse their behavior?

[@Fixer48]

skins are a good way to represent yourself and your characters, but blizzard took that away by removing loot boxes

[@Zayn0880]

There's a saying that applies to almost everything. And that is "Always follow the money." That will 99% of the time answer your questions.

[@christianedwards9025]

Another good one is "A fool I easily parted from his money." You guys get what you're willing to put up with. If people actually put their money where their mouth is they'd leave and this nonsense would end swiftly after. I don't buy any of the newer cods, I don't buy any cosmetics, I play one mobile game and they don't get my money, I don't buy dlcs, I don't support buying weapons or packs, it's just not happening.

[@Apocalypse754]

Just a little longer until Marvel Rivals comes out

[@PatrickArcato]

Why would you think a Disney game would be less greedy or less prone to questionable actions?

[@rachetmarvel931]

​@PatrickArcato Especially when it's being made by a mobile game dev,known for terrible monetization 😂.

[@belikebrett]

@PatrickArcato it might not in the long run. I'd at least enjoy the early stage of them feeling very pro player base. They do atm. Even just a year or 2 would be nice

[@KiraMahMan]

@@rachetmarvel931 at least its not selling new heroes like OW2 has been doing for the first year. Let's not forget that.

[@TazThaManiac]

you forgot reaper, when the mythic came out i randomly started hearing people say "hes good this season"

[@The_Antiquary]

Hmm - seemed more like players forgot Reaper until his mythic, then the goldfish brains couldn't remember how to play against him, ignored him teleporting into the backline, refused to turn their music off to hear his footsteps.

[@Mikuroko69]

Wasn't reaper good because of dva/Juno meta tho? Mei was also considered good without getting changes. The reason why they were considered good was because of their survivability. At least that was my consensus of it. I found games easier during that meta playing reaper/mei because I didn't get insta deleted by dva.

[@A.Cobalt]

@@Jae_JETT true, Reaper wasn’t changed at all, but something important to consider is weighted matchups. Reaper is a Tank Buster, so when tanks become stronger, Reaper will become stronger by proxy, even though he wasn’t changed.

[@A.Cobalt]

@@Jae_JETT I agree as well. I also always thought Reaper was being underrated.

[@x3no941]

it wasnt rlly random they buffed the speed of shadow step and tightened the shotgun spray

[@MrGrombie]

OW2 has been a reduction in what OW is. Took out a tank Took out updates for years Took out promised content Took out liberties on the trust we shown them Took out LFGs (Like how are people supposed to find people with mics? New people are screwed unless they use OUTSIDE resources like discord.....) Added in MTX

[@yogurtretzel8865]

"Redefining a Sequel" :^)

[@Brad2TheBoneOw]

Ummm they update the game way more now than ow1

[@fkatwigswife]

@@Brad2TheBoneOwthat is not what they are referring to

[@Brad2TheBoneOw]

@@fkatwigswife but he says took out updates?

[@MrGrombie]

@@Brad2TheBoneOw PVE content

[@The_Stickle_Cell]

They also nerfed Juno's range in the same patch which nerfs her ability to duel Widow as well

[@Blackbirddc]

I've been noticing this for a long time. I figured everyone just knew this not-so-secret secret.

[@dshredmusic]

To your question, 100% of what's happening backstage is being financially influenced. Blizzard devs do not make a single choice nowadays without an incompetent CFO voicing an opinion he/she's not qualified to make. It has been happening for a long time.

[@KingNicku]

I feel like this has always been the case. I remember when Hog got hit with the big nerf in OW1 right before Doomfist came out

[@SUPAPWNED]

OH MY GOD I SEE IT. HE DOES LOOK LIKE THE DAD FROM INSIDE OUT.

[@stehph]

Just wait until the wedding skins come out. Mercy, Juno, kiri, and genji will all be getting buffs

[@nihili4196]

Imagine Genji getting buff. I can see others, but he doesn't need buff to sell, Genji players are some other level of dedication

[@clinteastwood14896]

Don't forget the new Rein skin that makes no sound when you shatter. The most pay to win skin there ever was. And it's not a bug, it's a bug by design, just to make money.

[@TheNameIessKing]

The nail in the coffin for this is definitely when they nerfed Sombra on the EXACT SAME SEASON as when widow got her mythic skin. They call it a "rework" but it changed absolutely nothing in her kit other than making it several times worse. Like come on I get there are coincidences but the way they nerfed one of Widow's best counters just so blatant that I can't ignore it, I get that people find Sombra annoying but she was never powerful enough to need a nerf that bad. If this isn't just bad balancing and the devs are actually gonna start intentionally nerfing characters for the sake of selling more skins then Overwatch is absolutely cooked in the future 💀😭

[@peterwake5265]

Conspiracy logic finds connections that don’t exist. Blizz botched another Sombra rework. This is Blizzard business as usual. It’s just them being hopeless, understaffed, undertalented, and reactive. That this lines up with a widow skin is pure coincidence - you get the stupid prisms in the battle pass and you *will* spend them on a mythic. This might be an argument if Widow had a special colab shop skin with FOMO impact, but the mythic is always going to be on rotation. This Sombra change reacts to demands to remove perma-stealth from all parts of the community; that’s the good part; that it’s done so badly - that’s the Blizz part.

[@TheNameIessKing]

@@peterwake5265 Yea it's just when that adds up with other facts like for example how kiriko has basically always been in the meta since releases. It just gets me a bit suspicious when these coincidences happens time after time again, cuz with all the greedy choices that the higher ups in blizzard have made I wouldn't be surprised if they decide to stoop this low in the future.

[@belikebrett]

@peterwake5265 I don't believe it's a coincidence. I think it's both They wanted to do a sombea rework and did but just waited / timed it at the same time as widow You dont gotta believe they MADE it just FOR widow. I don't know if I'd believe that for any of the changes. But I'd totally believe they timed it perfectly to line up. Every single widow player hates sombra. Sombra rework since virus implementation has shit on widow The devs know this. Go play widow for 10 secs u get sombra So nah I doubt they just reworked sombra then last second saw "oh crazy widow mythic I didn't even notice the combination"

[@almightyrasen]

13:02 hoping you saw the kiri foot post on x 💀 you’re kinda spot on callin em r34 characters

[@Dezatron-]

The foot was on youtube. Just check there community post

[@Agitatedform]

​@@Dezatron- it was on both.

[@candy1049]

The OW Devs obviously has a very strong bias for: - Support heroes (mostly the females) - Asian female characters like Dva, Kiri, and Juno (except Symm for some reason) - And the females that are more popular in the "adult entertainment" part of the community (which is also mostly the Asian women). Why bother giving attention to the characters that have rich lore, an interesting and multifaceted personality with a cool design... (Like Tracer, Hanzo, Genji, Zarya, and even Mercy) When you can instead bastardize the personality and lore of the aforementioned characters, and instead give attention to the mary sue, clusterfuck-esque characters that act like a teenager in a nickelodeon sitcom that has no interesting personality, cringe writing, boring and inconsistent lore, that also has p*rnstar-level voice acting (*cough* Kiriko)

[@cheeseblast]

How about those venture skins? Oh wait...

[@ccaesers]

why do you even want venture skins, they are going to sell it for $40 anyways

[@ScottyGG]

The stash works bud! Magnum PI over here. :)

[@cythermax]

I think skins in a game where you almost never get to see your own skin is a waste of money/in game currency.

[@bigbelly8649]

100% this is happening. Took a page out of Apex Legends balancing the game around the shop. 100% not a serious competitive game anymore.

[@rokkalombardi2196]

Definitely onto something here. Idk about other characters, but Kiri got preferential treatment.

[@PatrickArcato]

The moment I saw wall climb AND teleportation I knew she was busted, then suzu came in and... Wow, just wow

[@praetorianplays]

I would say the recolors are insane. You should be able to get those for free or old currency. My biggest thing is that they are making more money on the game but the game still lacks.

[@hinatasninetailedfox]

If Hanzo had Femboy grippers he would have more skins, 250 up, and his draw speed nerf reverted.

[@peterwake5265]

They missed out on this aspect of Hanzo; they really should dig into it. Lifeweaver is too on the nose to be fun, but femboy Hanzo has all kinds of appeal. Just imagine him in a harem outfit, or stripey thigh-highs. Can’t wait. Would buy.

[@hinatasninetailedfox]

@@peterwake5265 would immediately release my dragons if this happened. 😂

[@musicxxa6678]

rein is prime example of shop influence on hero balance. its crazy.

[@zaiasm2305]

He was pretty dog shit for so long and I can now see how good he became during a time when he’s getting back to back skins

[@Ansi1709]

The Sniper in TF2 got a dot shoeing where he"s aiming when scoped, giving away that the player is aiming in that area. A good sniper hides their dot, and will then flick over an enemy who thought the area was clear. I think Widow could benefit from duch a mechanic.

[@derangedfreackingtwistedps5048]

I'm for this as a sniper player but the dots sometimes not enough in TF2, I think Widow would need like the full mvm sniper laser beam

[@Najeem97]

As someone playing Diablo 4 as well. Monetary gains 1000% drive the balance of the game. Just look at the new season with the new Spiritborn class LITERALLY hitting for QUADDRILLIONS!!! I love playing the class but it’s actually ridiculous when scaled to the classes you don’t need the expansion for. Crazy 😂

[@stargateheaven23]

i think you're right..and its sad. its no wonder the balance is so messed up

[@xristobalramirezromero3469]

Its really interesting to tie balance and the shop together. We really are getting into territory in which the shop certainly is beginning to dictate, at a minimum, the pace of certain balance changes. Everything you described is accurate as far as i can tell, but can be more egregious; the reaper mythic had a buff to shadow step animation, the rein Allmight skin seemed to have a quiet animation for shatter, Zen's quack skin gives a more distinct sound que when orbs are charged. I think that this is something that may not break the game, but it certainly feels problematic.

[@JUIC3Rlol]

Not to mention they also nerfed the sombra ashe match up by making it so sombra couldn't hack Bob for 10 seconds. It is 3 seconds at the moment.

[@hez1711]

Doomfist one shot back in the days , you could hear him growling while charging up the punch

[@rezz-t3k]

And season 1 of ow2, Genji got the mythic and he was a good pick with 29 damage…..guess what they did to him after the season ended. 😕

[@spectralspectra2282]

"As one trained in the force you know that true coincidences are rare"

[@emazemusic]

@SamitoFPS you forgot to mention/cover that one of the reasons for getting the heroes out of the batlle-pass could have been to make players have access to all the heroes so they will be more willing to buy their skins.

[@mysteriouspresent5186]

Fun fact: Kiriko has more skins than some OW1 characters. And Im talking some that have been out since launch. Im forgetting which, but you can fact check in collection. It’s quite a few of em’

[@gob384]

It baffles me that Venture has no legendary skin. Mauga took 2(?) seasons to get his shirt. Mercy has been gutted post season 9. I do think there may be some validity to heros getting collab skins getting QOL improvements, but Sigma wasn't overpowered during his mythic skin (outside of the good sigma maps). Tracer didn't get massive buffs for her skin release. I think the counterpoints outweigh the regular points

[@pippo17173]

Venture design back fired on the artist and devs when they made it clear venture nobinary identity is important and guess what, they can't push skins because its ether gonna look masculine or feminine. Meaning that the skins will take a long time to considered if they match the character.

[@sophisticatedsheep8178]

​@@pippo17173tbf they could just do both instead of neither

[@pippo17173]

@sophisticatedsheep8178 They can but again, they are making sure they're identiy is not compromising that.

[@sophisticatedsheep8178]

@@pippo17173 true, but I feel like if ur non binary you can kinda just wear whatever you want

[@sophisticatedsheep8178]

@@megamecha100 probably

[@tylerbacoka4248]

let's figure out the new meta, checks shop, ok I'm ready.

[@pyrusvincent1029]

Attaching a laser to your one-shot sniper characters was something that Valve figured out with TF2 literally almost TWO DECADES ago. In Paladins, the only two hitscan snipers can't oneshot you - in fact, they can barely two-tap most of the non-tank characters. Either answer Blizzard could take is literally dangling in front of them, but they went with the third, shitty route, which is to monetize Widow's strength and telling people "We're giving you a month to farm the Mythic skin. Use it well."

[@gs0008]

This is completely off topic from your video, but Junkenstein's Lab has been so much fun to play with my friends and I'd love to see your take on that game mode. It does away with counter picking completely and creating builds has been such a nice way of breathing new life into the game. I think it's being slept on right now.

[@RIP_ZYZZ1738]

That little blooper at the end reminded me of Rurikhan’s “What’s up iron breakers” 😂

[@relomen8711]

It's not a question, never was. How one can come up with theory about company who ACTUALLY copyrighted system for multiplayer games, when you get favorable matches when you bought skin/weapon and unfavorable matches (sometimes vs one who bought a weapon) for those who didn't. That's might sound straight up insane, but that's exactly what Blizzard patented in 2015 october.

[@Zealty]

this video was very entertaining L: and also as a 800 hour genji main im glad to see big youtubers talking about him more

[@S85B50Engine]

I was called crazy when I said that battlepass heroes would create a conflict of interest for the balance team. I got laughed off and called a Doomer. Mauga, Kiriko, Release Ramattra... And now this.

[@dshredmusic]

How Juno had no legendary skins across 2 battle passes and her first legendary skin came out on a 50 USD bundle made me lol

[@Derknomicon]

We use to be able to earn skins by just playing the game, we were rewarded with in-game swag for playing the game. Even if we missed out on event skins we knew they would come back the next event year and at a discount. Now some skins have FOMO attached to them because BP skins don't come back. The skins in the shop rotate in and out but never get discounted. Even collaboration skins that return don't get discounted. 20 bucks a skin is ridiculously high for a cosmetic. Plus the BP only gives you 800 OW coins, just 200 shy of each season BP. Meaning you either miss out on a BP for a season or you have to spend $5 bucks, which is 500 OW Coins, rather than just $2 for the remaining 200 coins you would need. Their whole business model for Overwatch "2" is predatory to the max. Which puts a HUGE hindrance on giving this game, a game I fell in love with from its beginning, any time of day. All this game does is tease and blue ball the audience into making purchases to feel like they are getting rewarded.

[@EmmaxoOCE]

I haven’t bought a skin in well over a year. If people complain about this but can’t stop themselves from supporting a game with no integrity, they shouldn’t have access to a debit or credit card.

[@353darkesthour]

I knew it was intentional the moment Genji started season 2 with 27 shuriken damage after his mythic was sold through.

[@truthfuldrake278]

I dont like when people say “you dont have to buy it” because I really do want to buy some of the skins, but $20 is just too much man…

[@TheRealBrotherGrimmy]

Best outro in the world! At this point I just genuinely don't care anymore. I stopped around the mercy mythic, came back for the ashe mythic... and haven't played more than a few games, if that, a week since. I want to want to play... but the game is just unfun to want to play seriously

[@EmmaxoOCE]

Remember when Mercy got a “lot” of skins in OW1? Looking back it doesn’t even seem like that much of a high proportion, because now you have Mercy and Kiriko in OW2…

[@aria.e]

I didn't miss any single mercy skins, bought them all.

[@plurrberry7189]

very simple, there is no problem with them balancing the game around skins to sell more. It is an issue when problems that have been plaguing characters and their mechanics don't get fixed for several seasons and the fix only come when they get a new skin they are trying to sell you.

[@HadouGun]

For collectables having half the cosmetics in the shop especially for the battle pass themes it means you can't realistically collect them all without spending. In the past having a full collection used to be a thing but that has long since became impossible so people should stop trying to collect because they already failed to do so.

[@jremigio24]

This is a really good video Sam ! It makes sense. It really is.

[@JustJack7860]

my least favorite part about widow is like you said how there's no interaction, no counterplay, the solution is just don't get headshot, which immediately restricts 70% or more of playable space just trying to deny this oppressive character the sightline to get free value. It's simply not fun. no one enjoys walking on eggshells 24/7. I spend half my games hoping the stand down main ana I'm getting on my team doesn't get 1 tapped every fight in the first 10 seconds

[@Vuhrv]

Not really the same tbh​@@OO-il6sl

[@kinshra639]

Let us not forget that Activision has routinely done something similar. Where they will release a very powerful weapon into Call of duty and then after enough sales have come in. They proceed to Nerf the weapon. Also, while it is very easy to attribute something like this to incompetence. You also have to remember that there is an incentive structure in place for this and it can be very easily fallen into. Even unintentionally

[@vash2723]

the moment that blizzard put meta characters in the battle pass, it's obvious that the monetization of the game affects the balance

[@HungryWidow]

I can see some of the comments already saying this but when the Soldier mythic weapon comes out there's like a 99.9% chance of Soldier getting buffed and I have a feeling its going to be recoil since Bap just got his recoil buffed

[@therebelfrogy9287]

Samito mustache gives that "they took our job" vibe

[@TheStevopb]

I guess nobody has played call of duty mobile. Has mythic skins just like OverWatch as well as the ability to upgrade them for even more money. Every season they balance the game around these weapons to make sure that they are meta. Not to mention all the mythic and legendary skins have paid to win iron sights, and the only way to acquire them is through loot boxes where you really have no true chance of getting the item besides on your last draw which cost over $100 in the US.

[@shutsquad]

Who's to say it isn't just the opposite? The balance changes are directly influencing what's being offered in the shops for skins. Devs have an insight into what heroes are going to be meta due to the balance changes that are coming and can thusly min/max the shop offerings for the most likely to be played heroes. It just makes good business sense if that's how they are doing it.

[@Xfacta12482]

Literally the most fairly priced monetization of any live-service shooter (by a pretty considerable margin too)

[@tylerbacoka4248]

and that's disgusting.

[@metal100k]

The thing is their monetization scheme isnt even good. As a f2p game the shop should make you want to buy more than the battlepass and the battlepass should make you want to buy more than the battlepass. Look at fortnite and COD. You get enough credit to buy the next battlepass and more. This incentivizes buying more because you already earned some of the credits to buy a big thing you like. Sure you can earn what you want eventually but the rate at which content is released vs the free credit is earned is different. They are solely relying on the hardcore base for their money. I feel this may play a part in the role the skins play in balancing.

[@drantino]

how i can probably understand the development of OW, its probably one of those cases of them making skins causes them to look at the character based on influence, not out of trying to sell skins. it is a side effect of causing more sales. but they know that their skins will always bin hot sellers by others, but they also know that if the char they made the new skins for isnt at least in a good place, they will get more backlash

[@vasilios2]

I don't know why everyone thinks putting a laser on widow is a good idea, unless you just want the character to be completely worthless. Every game that has a sniper with a laser always ends up with that sniper being worthless: Vantage from apex legends being a great example. The scope glint on the other hand could be a good idea, but probably needs to have a circular radius which your crosshair needs to be in in order to see.

[@brycenb2994]

I feel like the buffing shop skin characters is just confirmation bias. Ana gets a mythic weapon and doesn’t get changed. You already mentioned mercy not getting a change and soldier hasn’t been changed and he’s getting this seasons mythic. Everyone universally complained about sombras perma stealth and it was teased early season 12 before it actually came out this season. And reapers spread and tp being faster happened BEFORE his mythic even came out.

[@peterwake5265]

Yes. I honestly don’t believe the content team and balance team are that well aligned. They’ve got a hundred plates in the air and sometimes they happen to spin them in a way that lines up and sometimes they don’t. Blizzard could be far more canny about how they monetize and develop skins. Sombra got a shop-only skin this season, and a horrible identity wrecking, fun destroying rework too. How does that line up? It doesn’t. Widow got net buffs, but her mythic skin is basically “in the battle pass” people were going to buy anyway - and some might use those prisms to buy a Rein hammer or Soldier weapon and ignore Widow altogether.

[@TheMilkyDelight]

Now what if they just store all their skin ideas, then when they make updates they pair them with the Skins that are already saved?

[@Benjamin_Unbuttoned]

Imagine how much would change if no one bought at skins for a month

[@nb5034]

The impression at 2:51 killed me hahaha you're absolutely right

[@masheem4861]

samito the Omni Man of Overwatch

[@nova_steric1749]

The problem with skins in overwatch is that they cost way too much to be just remodels. They lack any interesting features like voicelines (for the most part), new sound designs, different visual effetcs for abilities and so on. They feel unfinished. 1900 ain't it. However, with little touchs, they could be worth it.

[@ollydavis2495]

Widow reworks idea: Sniper change: remove the snipers critical hit multiplier and give it venom rounds which poison and mark enemys thru walls when hit Give her a new ability in which she swaps the venom rounds out and marks a target with widows kiss. She can mark one target but This notifys the target that widow is hunting them. For a limited time widow has a headshot crit mulitpler on this target until it runs out and goes back on cooldown This way she keeps her identity as a 1 shot sniper but there is now counter play and clear indication that you are at threat to 1 shot when against her. To compensate she now acts as an info character when waiting for the 1 shot cooldown with her venom rifle.

[@farrukhahmed7367]

U look like my uncle

[@missingeuphoria]

I believe the biggest problem with OW and monetization is the amount of creators who use the game as a platform for their career. It's illogical to boycott or shame something that pays your bills unless you have other means to support yourself or are just that passionate about the wrongdoings. I see multiple OW creators and Apex creators consistently displeased with the product being delivered to the point they don't want to play the game but they clock in the hours to make rent. Sometimes they are so fed up that they don't clock those hours at all but they get baited into a new season that has a fresh coat of paint but is just as bad or worse than the last. To that point, some of these creators can talk trash about the game on stream all day but post a sponsored video on their channel the next day selling whatever new bundle is in the shop. The side of the community that is not happy with the game has been vocal enough to warrant a few corrections by the OW team, the biggest being the upcoming 6v6 test, but most of them have been band-aid fixes to bigger issues. The OW community keeps falling victim to the carrot again and again. I no longer support this game. I had a great time playing it when I could have fun for fun's sake but that offering just isn't available to me in the current state of the game; it hasn't been for a long time.

[@garikek]

Sam you do NOT wanna spend money on shards in raid. The prices there are ridiculous! If you wanna spend there just buy the forge pass and fully complete it, that's the best option and provides exclusive gear (gear is the most important thing in the game).

[@maxthemachine3894]

Widow has enough ammo and charge to not headshot and just 2 bodyshot , people act like playing her is the most difficult thing on earth meanwhile landing good tracer ult is more difficult

[@skepticalpickle5258]

Samito is just mad because his kids keep turning up the thermostat. His house is at a constant crisp 69 degrees.

[@Catalin8088]

You don't have to buy it has to be the worst argument in human existance.

[@leonsqueezy8691]

I think the way widow can be balanced is to make her gun bolt action and give her a secondary low ranged pistol for self defense ...

[@indiegamesonly6617]

ive never ever heard someone talk about raid shadow legends more than samito... you flame overwatch for being pay to win, but you play raid?

[@probablysnot3343]

I find it funny and frankly ironic that Overwatch team tweeted this during The Chinese Closed Beta of Marvel Rivals where 3 characters got very healthy balance changes. Lmao

[@SalamiMommie]

never thought about it that way, interesting

[@ohllie4890]

I think nerfing widow is as simple as making her shot charge way longer

[@Jkclone056]

Shop balancing isnt just killing ow. But modern gaming in general.

[@josephespinoza9636]

They didn’t need to make mercy good to sell the skin and they know it. Like you said mercy has a dedicated player base that will play mercy no matter what.

[@runasth]

At the end of the day, it has become pretty obvious that the shop does indeed influence the game's balance. As it has become well known at this point, Blizzard is no longer about making an enjoyable experience, but rather how they can milk their player base dry. People keep saying to 'vote with your wallets'. Well, guess what? Players are doing *exactly* that. By repeatedly buying whatever new shiny thing is put on the shop, they're telling the devs that what they're doing is work, and to stay the course no matter what.

[@Rippies]

From my view, the most important things to keep players playing is the gameplay and player customization. Skins are that, and if the goal was to maximize players, they need some way to earn them for free over a long period of time. Even if every match gave 10 coins, 200 matches is a long time for 1 skin. The pricing is solely because k-pop, collabs, and all of these sell and that's the consumers faults. There is no financial benefit for maintaining an art style, keeping a universe unique, you need to commit to fortnitification and sell skins for money. I don't think balancing has as much influence, I think the devs are genuinely incompetent on that front. Skins are definitely selected more for their ability to sell over the strength of the hero, but it's clear these have some overlap.