Loot boxes are back in Overwatch 2. And let’s cut the nonsense, Activision Blizzard didn’t have an epiphany of inspiration to be generous and make change. All this is happening because NetEase Games has wiped the floor with them after the release of Marvel Rivals.
One surprising thing is just how all in the studio has gone to this agenda. Players have already started to report that they are getting Legendary tier limited items from the free loot boxes in Season 15. So okay we’ll come back for a free skin or two, but then what Blizzard?
Overwatch 2 players are getting a lot of free skins today
Loot boxes were one of the key features of Overwatch and let players earn cosmetics and skins just by playing the game. When Overwatch 2 launched, Blizzard ditched them in favor of a battle pass system that locked rewards behind grind-heavy progression and microtransactions. And to no one’s surprise, players weren’t happy.
Overwatch 2 Season 15 Loot Boxes will also feature paid Skins sold in the Shop✨
🎁Earn 100+ loot boxes per season
👕Includes previous shop skins, excluding current season store skins
🚫No duplicate skins and cosmetics
🎯Legendary item within twenty consecutive boxes. pic.twitter.com/8wlHfuo9DY— Naeri X 나에리 (@OverwatchNaeri) February 13, 2025
More than two years later, Blizzard has now brought back loot boxes in Season 15, making it easier for players to unlock cosmetics, including rare and legendary skins. The system isn’t exactly the same as before because they can’t be bought directly in the store, but we can now earn over 100 of them just by playing, completing challenges, and participating in events.
The biggest surprise about loot boxes in Season 15 is that they now contain weapon skins. Before there were only hero skins, voice lines, sprays, and emotes. But now players are getting weapon skins too. And the best part is, some players have been getting rare and high-value skins from them.
I GOT A REAPER WEAPON SKIN FROM A LOOTBOX HELLO????? LETS GO pic.twitter.com/Jw6ch3eULX
— Aspen (@aspenisoffline) February 18, 2025
first overwatch 2 lootbox pull and i GOT THE CELESTIAL JUNO SKIN HELLO??? pic.twitter.com/9GZVQFXBAS
— gummy🩷 (@gummybearrxo) February 18, 2025
There are reports online of players opening loot boxes and finding legendary weapon skins, including Junkrat’s Los Muertos frag launcher and Reaper’s Hard Light shotgun. Tons of other players are sharing that they’re even getting Legendary tier character skins. There’s a lot of generosity from the devs, but what are the intentions behind this?
Don’t be fooled, this could’ve been done a long time ago
According to game director Aaron Keller, one of the biggest criticisms of the game since launch has been the lack of meaningful rewards for players—especially those who play for free. In a recent Developer Spotlight video for Season 15, Keller admitted that Overwatch 2 didn’t feel “rewarding enough“.
He says that bringing back loot boxes has been a way to bring back a sense of excitement and surprise that had been lost. But we all know what the real reason is, Marvel Rivals. Just when everyone had just about given up on the idea that Overwatch, even with all its flaws couldn’t be challenged, NetEase swooped in to show hundreds of thousands of players what generosity looks like.
Overwatch 2 reached an all-time low in terms of player count following the success of Marvel Rivals. But is this really the way to combat competition? A lot of people have already switched over and will surely be interested in getting free skins, but if the game still has the same foundational problems, they’ll leave again. What is the studio going to do about that?
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
