There is a lot of money to be made from in-game purchases such as loot boxes, and Overwatch has just proved how lucrative they can be. The multiplayer first-person shooter (or "hero shooter") has reached a mark that a somewhat short list of titles has, generating over $1 billion from in-game content alone.
According to SuperData Research, a site dedicated to providing market intelligence for the video game industry, Overwatch joins the $1 billion club, becoming the 64th game on either console, PC, or mobile to generate that amount of dough. The game recently celebrated its 3rd anniversary, and in that short amount of time, it appears that players have invested quite a lot into the various cosmetic items found in the game's loot boxes.
This is also a big achievement for Activision. Overwatch is the sixth IP for the company to reach this mark, following World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Destiny, Candy Crush, and Hearthstone. Seeing as many are still invested in these titles, reaching another $1 billion is not far-fetched.
Now that Overwatch has announced a new hero, Activision can expect players to invest in loot boxes in order to obtain the various cosmetic items for the character when he goes live. Sigma, the newest main tank to join the game, has powers that can manipulate gravity itself and is currently being tested in the PTR (Public Test Region).
A full breakdown of Sigma's abilities was recently detailed in a new video released by Blizzard this week. His main weapons are called Hyper Spheres, which have their own gravitational pull. Sigma's ultimate ability is called Gravitic Flux and it sends his enemies into the air and suspends them there, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
Before his powers were officially unveiled and he became playable on the PTR, the newest hero was introduced earlier this week through a haunting teaser trailer that many fans of Overwatch are claiming is one of the best Blizzard has ever produced. Sigma is a brilliant scientist who, due to a tragic experiment, becomes psychologically damaged.
The torment he endures because of this is showcased in the video and is exceptionally unnerving. Sigma is a pretty intriguing character, made all the more interesting by the fact he is completely barefoot - a popular topic right now for Overwatch players.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: SuperData Research