Overwatch 2's first seasonal event Halloween Terror is now live, but the event itself feels less like a graveyard smash and more like an uninspired offering. Since Overwatch underwent a massive content drought during the production of its sequel, many had high expectations for this event. Unfortunately, it still leaves much to be desired, and its borderline counterintuitive design may even signify a struggle with player retention down the line.
Seasonal events were a huge driving force behind the initial Overwatch's success and popularity. Although Overwatch's legacy is already being erased, veteran players will likely forever cherish the limited-time game modes, festive maps, and unlockable cosmetics that these events had to offer. But if all future events follow the example of Halloween Terror 2022, they will have nowhere near the same effect. Although it's somewhat familiar in structure to those seen previously, Overwatch 2's first seasonal event barely distinguishes itself from the regular state of the game - and it's almost single-handedly due to the new monetization model.
Overwatch 2's Lack Of Lootboxes Means There's No Incentive For Events
Since moving to the free-to-play format with Overwatch 2, microtransactions have become a lot more prevalent. Players can only unlock items by purchasing Overwatch Coins, and then spending them on a rotating menu of shop-exclusive items and bundles. Although random, often-repetitive rewards weren't great, the alternative to lootboxes in Overwatch 2 is worse. This is especially true when it comes to seasonal events, as players no longer have a way to earn their associated cosmetics for free. In Halloween Terror, there also aren't any weekly challenges, which in Overwatch would reward players with a free Epic skin among other cosmetics. If players don't want to open their pockets, the only real feature of Halloween Terror 2022 is the new LTM Wrath Of The Bride, which doesn't offer much besides novelty.
There are a couple of free cosmetics that players can receive, but these don't actually provide any incentive for playing the game, either. Blizzard is offering players a free Legendary Reaper skin to apologize for Overwatch 2's disastrous launch - but all players have to do is to receive the skin - nothing is stopping them from closing the game immediately afterward. Similarly, those who don't already own the Werewolf Winston skin (which first released in 2020), can watch six hours of Overwatch 2 gameplay on Twitch to earn it along with a matching spray. In other words, players are not even required to open the game to earn the cosmetic, which doesn't exactly provide motivation to play.
Halloween Cosmetics Have Expensive Paywalls In Overwatch 2
Even if players are willing to spend money on the event, the price tag is nothing short of outrageous. The two Halloween-themed skins that were released for Junker Queen and Overwatch 2's new Kiriko are both at least $19.00, which many consider a hefty price to pay for a single skin. As if that wasn't already bad enough, Kiriko's Witch skin is only available in a bundle, meaning that the price is bumped even higher to $26.00. There is no way to buy the skin separately, causing a great number of fans to be upset. For an event that barely offers any reason to play, such extreme prices on in-game items make it almost entirely pointless for players who don't want to open their wallets for microtransactions.
Failing to encourage gameplay and placing unrealistically expensive prices on cosmetics, Overwatch 2's first seasonal event falls flat in more than one way. It doesn't bode well for the growth of the game, and may set low expectations for future events. Halloween Terror should've been a scarily good time, it now looks like a bad omen for Overwatch 2's future.
