The fans don't like Overwatch 2's character unlocking system

Activision Blizzard recently revealed details about the system used for new characters in Overwatch 2, and the community is not happy at all about it. As we know, the game will feature many of the heroes from Overwatch but also new ones. We already know some of them, like Sojourn, which was presented a while ago. 

Blizzard has stated that the unlocking of new characters will be tied to the season pass progression, which is quite a significant difference compared to its predecessor. The season pass will feature two different tracks, one that is free to all players and a second one that you can only access by paying. Each of them grants you rewards, which you can unlock by playing Overwatch 2 and attaining levels. Therefore, you will have to work hard to unlock the new characters.

Overwatch 2 will be following a free-to-play monetization model, and players will be able to buy cosmetic items at the game shop, but the season pass will also become an important source of revenue for the developer. Fortunately, it seems that the new characters will be tied to the free rewards track, so technically, you won't have to pay to unlock them. Anyone with experience in free-to-play games knows that it's very common that you can unlock things faster if you buy the season pass and have access to both tracks, so Blizzard's announcement is receiving a serious backlash from the community.

Overwatch fans are concerned about this system changing the availability of the heroes, which is critical to the gameplay. Many players change their team compositions by swapping characters to adjust to the match situation. This strategy will significantly change if the access to specific characters is behind a wall.

Blizzard is yet to answer to the backlash received after the announcement, and it will be interesting to see how it reacts. Overwatch 2 will release on October 4 across several platforms, including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch consoles, and PC. Therefore, there is enough time for such a reaction, if it happens.