Despite a rough launch period, Overwatch 2 has maintained a steady climb in player numbers, reaching a new milestone for the franchise.
Overwatch 2 had a rocky launch, and despite it all, it's still racking up the players as it was recently revealed it had broken through the 35 million player mark.
The information comes from a recent Activision quarterly earnings report. Despite not giving more concrete information, the report states that out of the 35 million players, many of them were completely new to the franchise, making it seem the move to free-to-play was the right call for the game.
Elsewhere, the report also suggests that despite steep prices of cosmetics and several issues with the monetization system, Overwatch 2 players are engaging with the economy.
Player investment is also off to a strong start, positioning the title to be a meaningful contributor to Blizzard's business in the fourth quarter. Blizzard is looking forward to delivering an ambitious slate of regular seasonal updates for Overwatch 2 that introduce new characters, maps and modes, including the game's much anticipated PvE mode planned for 2023.
During its initial release window, Overwatch 2 reached 25 million players on October 14 and it seems interest in the title is far from dying down. To put things into perspective, these numbers double that of Overwatch 1 in the same timeframe. Naturally, it's worth reminding people that the first game had a $40 price tag on PCs and $60 on consoles, making it instantly less accessible than its free-to-play successor.
Following the reveal of the game's latest hero, Ramattra, which will be the FPS' newest tank hero, Overwatch 2 fans can certainly be excited for the future of the franchise.
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