Overwatch 2 Director Says Best Way to Run a Free-to-Play Game Is to "Put Out as Much Content as We Can"

By Tanner Dedmon

The Overwatch 2 team finally revealed recently not only the release date for the new game but also the confirmation that it will indeed shift to a free-to-play format. That's a first for the Overwatch series, but that and the live-service model are things other major franchises like Call of Duty and Halo have adopted in recent years, too, with varying degrees of success. As such, Blizzard Entertainment has had the unique opportunity to be able to learn from some of those other games' transitions in terms of what players expect and how content should be released.

It's unsurprising then that one of the Overwatch 2 team's big takeaways was content, and lots of it. During a press briefing prior to the Overwatch 2 stream which took place on Thursday, we asked the Overwatch 2 team what learnings, if any, they'd gleaned from other games pursuing free-to-play and live-service formats. Game director Aaron Keller said part of their plan is to "put out as much content as we can."

"Free-to-play, for us, it's not just about removing a barrier of entry to new players," Keller said. "I think what we see from other games in the industry is the very best way to run a free-to-play service – at least the way we we've taken it – is to be able to put out as much content as we can, and to really commit to that, and to really structure your team in order to be able to do that, and to be able to do it consistently and in perpetuity."

Keller's comments followed those from Overwatch VP and commercial lead Jon Spector who said people often view free-to-play transitions as a simple flip of a switch.

"I think one of the lessons is that you need to have a thoughtful strategy around that for how you're updating the game, how you're bringing new content in," Spector said. "So, for us, I think it was really important that it was not just 'Hey, Overwatch 2 is free-to-play,' but rather 'Overwatch 2 is free-to-play, and that is one part of the overall live-service vision with seasonal content updates,' and to do all of that together in a way that allows us to hopefully meet and exceed players' expectations."

Overwatch 2 will launch on October 4th as a free-to-play game with more betas planned prior to that release.

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