Remember when Overwatch’s loot boxes got removed? Well, they’re coming back February 18 to lukewarm reception.
Look, I get it. Loot boxes were controversial back in the day. Governments were talking about regulating them, parents were freaking out about gambling mechanics, and Blizzard ditched them entirely when Overwatch 2 launched. But then something funny happened – people started missing them.
Turns out dropping $20 for a single legendary skin in the shop feels way worse than earning free boxes just for playing. Who knew? The battle pass system that replaced loot boxes wasn’t exactly winning any fans either. I haven’t gotten a new skin in months unless I wanted to shell out real cash.
Here’s where it gets interesting though. Blizzard’s new system looks suspiciously like something out of Genshin Impact or Honkai Star Rail. You’re guaranteed a rare or better item in every box, an epic within five boxes, and a legendary within twenty. Sound familiar? That’s straight up gacha pity system design, and it might be exactly why Blizzard can bring these back without getting destroyed by regulators.
The drop rates are pretty decent too – about 5% chance for legendaries in regular boxes, and 22% for epics. Plus they’re throwing in legendary boxes through the battle pass (one free, two premium) that guarantee the good stuff. Game director Aaron Keller’s even hinting we might get hundreds of boxes in Season 15 alone.
The best part is that you can’t buy them with real money this time. They’re purely rewards for playing, completing challenges, or watching Twitch streams. Between that and the transparent pity system, it no longer feels like buying a lottery ticket.
Guess we’ll see how it all plays out when Season 15 hits. But after two years of watching cool skins sit behind forty-dollar paywalls, I’m ready to start cracking open some boxes again.
Leave a Reply