Blizzard will stop selling Overwatch loot boxes starting this month

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Say goodbye to Overwatch’s controversial loot boxes for good. 

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that Overwatch’s latest update will also herald the end of the game’s loot boxes. This week’s update introduces the final Anniversary Remix event, Vol. 3, with a whole bunch of recoloured skins and returning events acting as a last hurrah to the base game – before Overwatch 2 arrives in October. 

Here are all the new skins in Anniversary Remix Vol. 3:

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Once this event ends on August 30, Blizzard is pulling purchasable loot boxes from the game permanently. You won’t be able to spend real-world money for digital goods (temporarily), but you’ll still be able to pick up loot boxes through playing the game and leveling up as usual. In-game credits will be repurposed into a different form of currency later on too. 

Loot boxes as a whole will vanish completely once Overwatch 2 launches this October, replaced by a new in-game store that sells individual skins and cosmetics for real-world money in the vein of other free-to-play games like Apex Legends and Fortnite. In addition to the store, players will also be able to pick up cosmetics through seasonal battle passes in both paid and free tiers. 

The randomised nature of loot boxes has always been a subject of controversy, especially for Blizzard, a company that has been sued multiple times over its games’ loot boxes in the past. Overwatch players have no cause to celebrate for their disappearance however, considering that loot boxes are likely being replaced by a much more expensive monetisation scheme in the sequel to make up for the fact that it’s free-to-play. 

There’s a difficult balance to strike with free-to-play monetisation. Games like Fortnite have largely gotten it right without heavy opposition from its players, but other games like Apex Legends frequently get backlash over grindy events and expensive skins that force players to shell out inordinate amounts of money. Blizzard is already under scrutiny for its pay-to-win monetisation of Diablo Immortal, so there’s no telling how Overwatch 2 is going to turn out. I wouldn’t be optimistic. 

Overwatch Anniversary Remix Vol. 3 marks the last event of Overwatch as it exists today, before the game transitions to the sequel’s new heroes, maps, and plentiful balance changes. The event runs from August 9 to August 30, and you can find more details on its rollout here. 

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