Overwatch 2 debuted on Steam last week and was immediately hit with so many negative user reviews that it’s now the lowest-scoring game on the platform.
Right now, Blizzard’s first PC release outside the Battle.net launcher has over 140,000 Steam reviews, which Steam summarizes as “Overwhelmingly Negative”. While there are plenty of users criticizing the FPS for understandable reasons, many of the reviewers are simply there to add memes and ASCII art to the pile.
In a blog post reflecting on the release of its newest season. Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller said, “although being review-bombed isn’t a fun experience, it’s been great to see lots of new players jump into Overwatch 2 for the first time.”
“Many of the reviews on Steam mention the cancellation of the much larger component of PvE that was announced in 2019 as one of their primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the game,” he continued. “I get that. That announcement was about an ambitious project that we ultimately couldn’t deliver.
“If we can’t turn back the clock, then what can we do? We can keep adding to and improving Overwatch 2.”
Keller said they will move forward and “continually create and innovate on what is making the game great now for the players who are playing now.”
Overwatch 2 currently peaks around 50,000 Steam players daily, according to SteamDB, with the highest peak of 75,000 on the day of its release. Despite the early onslaught of negative reviews, the free-to-play game was Steam’s seventh top seller (by revenue) that week. Players must have been dropping money on its $15 PvE mission pack or its premium battle pass to get it that high. However, it’s since sunk down to 63rd place.
The Steam reviews prompted fans of the game to start a Twitter campaign in support of Overwatch 2’s developers with the hashtag #OWDevAppreciation2023. Many players and Overwatch developers shared stories and clips about their relationship to the game, including Keller, who thanked the community for starting it.
Overwatch 2’s sixth season, titled Invasion, is live with a new support hero, a new PvP mode, and its first set of story missions. Those PvE missions are fun for diehard fans, but don’t make up for the long wait.