It appears that Blizzard is selling an Overwatch 2 skin for more than the price of its bundle. Overwatch 2 players have been experiencing several issues since its release a few days ago. Many of these problems are technical, such as connection issues, getting kicked from the server, or troubles while migrating accounts.
However, many Overwatch 2 players have criticized the monetization practices Blizzard adopted in this free-to-play release. Like other live service games, there are various ways for players to unlock cosmetic items, such as purchasing the battle pass or buying them from the in-game shop with real money. The free-to-play path requires a massive amount of grinding, as one fan calculated how much time it would take to unlock all of Kiriko’s cosmetics in Overwatch 2. Now, it looks like Overwatch 2 is selling a skin for more than the cost of its bundle.
In a recent post on Reddit, a user named mekastrxm shared an image showing that the Vampire Hunter skin for Brigitte in Overwatch 2 costs 1900 Overwatch Coins, which equates to around $19 in real money. However, the image shows that the same skin is a part of the Vampire Hunter Bundle, which costs 1650 coins, 250 less than the price of just the skin. The bundle consists of three other items, so it appears to be a much better value in the eyes of the consumer.
However, many users in the comments state that this looks like a deliberate attempt to give the bundle more perceived value. Essentially, it boils down to the same strategy used to increase the perceived value of a product during discounts or sale events. One user mentions that without presenting it in this fashion, users would not feel encouraged to spend 1650 Overwatch Coins to buy the bundle.
One Overwatch 2 player notes that gamers would still have to pay around $20 to buy the skin, as the monetization system doesn’t allow for purchases in smaller dividends. The rest of the comments are filled with fans complaining about the monetization practices included in Overwatch 2.
However, there appears to be a more logical reason for the bundle to be priced this way. One fan mentions that mekastrxm probably owns the remaining three skins in the bundle, which could be a reason for the given price to be lower. A few other players experienced something similar when they tried to purchase the Clockwork Zenyatta skin in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.