Overwatch 2 Surpass 25 Mn. Players As Blizzard Tweaks Hero Balance And Gameplay

Overwatch 2 is one of the most anticipated games, and it is evident from the fact that 25 million players have reportedly joined the second edition of the insanely popular FPS (First Person Shooter) from Blizzard.

Overwatch 2 launched on October 4 and has been welcoming hordes of players ever since. Blizzard announced the sequel had amassed "millions of players" in just 10 days.

Blizzard Kept Players Interested In A Game Plagued By Delays

Blizzard faced several troubles during the development and deployment of Overwatch 2. The game developer fought off multiple, powerful DDoS attacks during the launch of the game.

Blizzard openly acknowledged Overwatch 2 had a "bumpy" launch and confirmed the rewards.

When #Overwatch2 launch is bumpy you make it up to players 😤

Besides making progress on bug fixes & stabilization, we've got goodies to share with all players

🚑 Health Pack Weapon Charm
🏴‍☠️ Cursed Captain Reaper
🎉 2x Match XP weekends

How to get em https://t.co/pU6b13P0ww pic.twitter.com/Pzs1RvnWFu

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) October 11, 2022

Blizzard even asked players for their phone numbers as part of a new policy. The developer rewarded players for their cooperation by offering double XP, a weapon charm, and single free skin. But following a backlash, redacted the policy for most of the players. Moving forward, only new accounts have to attach a phone number for SMS verification.

Despite these seemingly big setbacks, Overwatch 2 has been welcomed with open arms by many gamers. Most players seem to have forgiven Blizzard for the hiccups, indicated Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment.

"The launch of Overwatch 2 has been such an important moment for Blizzard. We're thrilled to bring new players from around the world into Overwatch's vibrant universe while welcoming back the existing Blizzard community."

Ybarra has indicated there will be additional rewards and bonuses for players, and promised the "live game" would be worth the wait.

"This is only the beginning, there are so many possibilities to explore in the world of Overwatch, and we cannot wait for players to experience everything the team is building for the live game."

Blizzard's Improvements To The Balance System, And PvE Mode

Blizzard has confirmed that Kiriko, the newest support hero in the game, had gained immense popularity. Her Kitsune Rush ultimate ability was used over two million times in the first seven days of the game's launch.

Several gamers were concerned about the Hero Balance system of Overwatch 2. Multiple glitches in the game had previously allowed gamers to strike with alarmingly high ferocity. Blizzard has attempted to alleviate the concerns by announcing:

"While some heroes are performing better than others, and there are differences across player skill levels, we have been happy to see that no hero's overall power level is far out of line with our goals".

Blizzard categorically pointed out targeted adjustments to Zarya in Total Mayhem but mentioned it won't re-balance Overwatch 2 until Season Two, which is expected to roll out in December. Currently, each hero has a win rate between the 45 to 55 percent range, and hence, the system doesn't need tweaking, claimed Blizzard.

During the initial launch period, Overwatch 2 is essentially a free-to-play version of the original game. The Hero Balance system has been modified to suit 5v5 gameplay over 6v6. Needless to mention gamers are waiting for the PvE (Players Vs. Environment) story mode. This mode could help Overwatch 2 establish its separate identity from the original Overwatch game.