Blizzard Entertainment is often the more vocal game developer, but most of the time, they do not do it purposely. Whenever they try to communicate their intentions through tweets or other similar methods, the misunderstanding just gets bigger. Since the release of the Borealis Mega Bundle, Blizzard has found itself right in the middle of yet another controversy regarding Overwatch 2‘s free-to-play economy and character skins.
It’s like Blizzard just threw this new Borealis thing into the mix and gave us a sneak peek of what their designers are up to with the skins. The bundles look pretty cool; they are a mixture of shininess and frostiness. Nevertheless, if you go through the replies, it is as if you are playing an entirely different game. It feels like the digital fur coats of the game have just uncorked the complaints bottle that gamers have been secretly preparing to unleash for months, and this time it was just because of some in-game jackets.
To begin with, players have been making brutally honest comments about skins. One player shows no restraint and instead calls it an awful hairstyle for Echo, asking, “What the hell is Echo doing?” Ouch! That’s pretty mean but at the same time kind of funny? Another comment asserts that Echo looks like a person who has been frozen and has gone through a botox treatment. That is indeed very rude! A third individual even goes as far as to describe a character called Wuyang as “one of the ugliest niggas I’ve ever seen.” The argument is definitely not easy. Meanwhile, some community members whisper, “Ngl that echo skin looks really good” and “the entire set is gorgeous 😭 bruh”. Thus, it is completely split. Optionally, you may either get attracted by frozen fantasy looks or consider them uneventful.
I guess, though, the skins are only a minor part of the overall topic, and I am totally punning with the iceberg thing. The answers immediately start going into like a thousand other issues that the players have with Overwatch 2 at the moment. It’s unbelievable! What is the most common complaint? The feeling that Blizzard has a few heroes who are the favorites and thus, get new things. For example, one user says “I really can’t emphasize how much I hate it when you developers treat only selected characters kindly with new legendary skins.” And they are not alone. Another player tells, “My girl Brig needs a new skin badly, don’t forget about my baddie 😭”. It is the not-so-nice cycle of some heroes getting all the good new outfits while others are still stuck with the base outfits from 2016.
And there is the whole issue of content. You know the one. “This is the problem with games these days, too many cosmetics and not enough real content.” That comment resonates strongly as it conveys a feeling that you come across everywhere. Gamers see new costumes being added to the shop every week and still witness the promised PvE mode or major gameplay updates being delayed. Players are beginning to think even stronger: we are witnessing what they have termed “petty greed” in the industry’s priorities. Ouch!
The replies are not only about the skins or the lack of content. There is a complaint going on about trailers being in vertical video format. Someone is asking when the collaboration with Street Fighter will be coming back. A player is reporting a strange bug regarding the progression tab. There is a heated debate about balance, one is shouting “Now revoke Lucio’s nerf” and another person is comparing cooldowns on spawning for different characters. It is almost a community manager’s nightmare, all taking place under one promotional tweet.
The bundle seems to be flawed then? Players are starting to notice that Echo’s skin is incomplete without her icon or something similar, and they call the whole thing a disaster. Besides, how are you going to ask for victory poses to come and be part of the progression screen? It is a million tiny quality-of-life requests and complaints all erupting at once.
In a way, it is quite intriguing. This one tweet is acting like a pressure release valve for the entire mood of the Overwatch 2 community. The hype for beautiful new skins is definitely there – you can tell by the comment “short hair mercy… mmgffhhh….” haha. But it is buried under the layers of balance, fairness, content pacing, and communication frustrations. Players feel like they are being sold a package while the core issues are still there. The dialogue shows that for many gamers, a cool skin does not make a weak hero feel strong or a boring game lively again.
The release of the Borealis bundle has definitely not only affected a heated spot but also laid the wide gap between player expectations and current update cycle of the game bare. It is a fact that cosmetic additions are a hallmark of live-service games but the Overwatch community’s reaction is a topic also discussed by fans on PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
