Overwatch 2's New Heroes Are Part Of The Battle Pass, And Fans Are Furious

Nerves about the upcoming Overwatch 2 are growing by the day.

The game's community seems happy enough about the gameplay we've seen so far and as its open beta was a total treat, there are few complaints in that department - but there's one big part of the game we haven't seen yet. The battle pass.

Of course, the game (which will now be totally free-to-play) needs to make its money somehow, and it has adopted a battle pass model rather than opting for loot box like its predecessor. But, as a result, fans are worried that important items are going to end up locked behind the battle pass, and once it has expired, locked behind paywalls.

And it looks like this is half true. But that's not good enough for players.

Overwatch 2 Is Locking Characters Into Its Battle Pass

The commercial leader for Overwatch and Blizzard's vice president, Jon Spector, has taken to Twitter to confirm the fears of a lot of fans - that the new, unannounced playable characters will be trapped in the battle pass.

It could be worse, as they will be in the free section of the pass, but it has brought up concerns that once the battle pass has expired, players will be forced to shell out to play as new fighters.

"Addressing some incomplete info posted early about our Overwatch 2 Battle Pass – we'll be sharing all details ahead of launch, but want to confirm that new Overwatch 2 heroes will be available on the free track of the Battle Pass," he reveals on Twitter.

Fans aren't happy with this reveal, as it implies players will have to pay for the characters afterwards - but thankfully, Spector has cleared this up too.

You Can Still Earn Characters For Free In Overwatch 2

In response to a tweet asking about what happens to the opportunity to unlock characters for free at the point of expiration for the battle pass in Overwatch 2, Spector has made it clear that there will still be ways to unlock characters for free afterwards.

"We will have free paths to get new heroes in future seasons too," he says. Thank goodness for that.

So, it looks like the Apex Legends model isn't striking Overwatch 2 just yet, despite the irritation of having to grind for characters. Still, at least the characters are here in the first place. It had been some time since a new character debuted in Overwatch before the beta kicked in, so it's a treat regardless.