Blizzard Entertainment, the developer behind Overwatch 2, is considering a significant change to its monetization model concerning new heroes. As it stands, new heroes in Overwatch 2 can instantly be accessed by purchasing a premium battle pass, but Blizzard's executive producer Jared Neuss has hinted at a possible shift to allow all players to enjoy new heroes on the launch day of a season without the need to spend real money. Currently, new heroes can be earned for free via the game's basic battle pass, but players must grind through 45 tiers of content.

The latest hero addition, Mauga from Samoa, introduced a new heavy assault character with unique weapons. However, the monetization strategy, particularly the premium battle pass, has been a point of contention among the gaming community, with Overwatch 2 becoming the worst reviewed game on Steam at one point. These criticisms stem from the transition of the original Overwatch game into a free-to-play sequel, forcing the premium predecessor to update and become unplayable otherwise. Controversies have followed, including the cancellation of the anticipated PvE Hero mode, which was supposed to justify the sequel's existence.

Will Overwatch 2 allow free access to new heroes on day one?

Blizzard is working on making new heroes available to all players on day one of a new season release without purchasing the premium battle pass, although the exact details of this change have not been disclosed.