The original Overwatch relies on loot boxes for its monetization. While all of the Overwatch characters, maps, and game modes are free, fans are encouraged to spend real money to purchase loot boxes to unlock all of the cosmetics that they want. In the years since Overwatch's launch, however, loot boxes have become highly controversial and heavily criticized, to the point where it's possible that Overwatch 2 may be ditching them entirely.
Blizzard has not indicated if this is the case or not, but a recent tweet by the German Overwatch Twitter account has pointed in that direction. As discovered by Dexerto, Overwatch 2 is rated for players 12 and older in Germany, whereas the first Overwatch game is rated for players 16 and older. This lower age rating could very well indicate that Overwatch 2 is getting rid of loot boxes, as their inclusion would almost assuredly cause the game to be rated for players 16 and older instead.
Again, nothing official has been announced, and so fans should keep that in mind. It's also possible that Overwatch 2 loot boxes will be region specific. Perhaps players in Germany won't have loot boxes to unlock Overwatch 2 cosmetics, but those in the US and other countries were loot boxes are tolerated better may still have them. Blizzard has not revealed much about Overwatch 2's progression and rewards at the time of this writing, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the sequel distance itself from loot boxes.
If Overwatch 2 drops loot boxes, there are many other ways that it could monetize itself. For example, Overwatch 2 could take a Fortnite approach and outright sell skins in the item shop. Overwatch loot boxes technically allow players to get nearly all of the skins in the game for free if they play enough and are lucky, so a change like this would likely upset some players, though others would be happy to get rid of loot boxes.
Besides implementing an item shop like most live service games have nowadays, Overwatch 2 could look into having a battle pass. Also popularized by Fortnite, battle passes are most commonly found in battle royale games, but have been found in other kinds of games as well. It seems like a combination of these systems would likely be the most consumer-friendly way for Overwatch 2 to monetize itself, but fans will just have to wait and see what happens.
The Overwatch 2 release date is rumored to be coming within the next year, so fans should find out more about the game's progression and rewards in the months ahead.
Overwatch 2 is in development.
Source: Dexerto