Overwatch 2 players unhappy with the prices of in-game items got this week one of the best examples of the frustrations with the game’s overall monetization system. A player pointed out that there’s an item players can get in the game – a Pachimari keychain – which actually costs less to purchase physically from Blizzard’s merch store than it does to affix to one of your weapons in-game.
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This finding comes from Reddit user hi_im_redbeard who posted in the Overwatch subreddit a series of images showing different values for items in and out of the game. in the game, there’s a charm players can purchase which costs 700 Overwatch Coins. Buying 500 Overwatch Coins costs $4.99, the player pointed out, so seeing how that’s essentially a ratio of $1 = 100 Overwatch Coins, buying that charm in the game would cost you $7 before tax.
What’s funny in a twisted sort of way, the player pointed out in the images below, is that the same Pachimari charm can be purchased physically from Blizzard’s site featuring all its gear from its various games. There, the charm costs $5. You’d of course have to factor in tax and shipping when paying for that, buy the crux of the argument players are focused on is that the digital version of the item costs $2 more than the physical alternative.
Responses within the Overwatch 2 thread ranged from people making jokes about the situation to others saying the fact that a digital item that’s available infinitely costs more is the “most disgusting thing.” Some joked that the finding would prompt Blizzard to update its merch store prices to make the physical version more expensive to match the digital charm.
The monetization system of Overwatch 2 has been subject to some of the most pointed criticisms the game’s received after its free-to-play shift. It was one of the primary concerns we held with Overwatch 2 in our review as well.
