The fever pitch from Rio has invaded Blizzard’s popular new first-person-shooter game, Overwatch, and the majority of the game’s players are loving it. I say majority because while the new content is quite fun and brings about a new competitive angle I never expected to see in an FPS, the official forums and subreddit are littered with the woes of angry players over some aspects of the Summer Games.
But first, what does the Summer Games entail? Running from the 2nd to the 22nd of August, the Summer Games replace the normal “Weekly Brawl” mode and instead introduce a mode that is blatantly lifted from Rocket League called “Lúcioball”. Two teams composed of three Lucio’s each skate around a football pitch with the aim of scoring a goal through a combination of jump pads, punching it and using the reverb knockback of his primary weapon. It’s surprisingly fun and I actually spent over an hour skating around the pitch doing my best to score a goal and feeling the levels of tension I normally associate with a FIFA game.
But a game mode isn’t all the Summer Games entail. Exclusive new “Summer Game loot boxes” will also be available during the event, taking the place of regular loot boxes. Inside these loot boxes, players have a chance to collect nearly a 100 new emotes, sprays, icons, intros and skins that are themed around the Summer Games. However, there is one catch and it’s a large one: you won’t be able to buy individual items with in-game coins. You’ll only be able to win them through the loot boxes, which are randomised and which guarantee only having at least one Summer Games aesthetic item. And the only way to get the loot boxes without grinding levels is to buy them with real world money.
Quite a few players are understandably angry at this fact, feeling that the combination of grinding, RNG and the limited time period ensures that they won’t be able to collect all the items to sate their completionist desires. As a result, many feel that Blizzard intentionally modeled it this way to ensure that players part with money in order to increase their chances of all the items that come with the Summer Games. However, Overwatch’s Game Director, Jeff Kaplan, has stated this wasn’t their intention, both in a video announcing the Summer Games and in a forum post which is below:
“Sometimes we want to give everything to everybody. For example, a few weeks ago we gave everyone a new hero — Ana. Ana came with skins, emotes, sprays, highlight intros etc. that could all be purchased with credits. We also want to add new maps to the game and new stuff like the Lucioball brawl that’s available to everyone equally.
But sometimes we want things to feel rare and special.
We wanted to try something new with this event. As we mentioned in the Developer Update, we’re learning and experimenting with this event. And if the event is received well (my impression so far is that it is being received well once you remove the debate over the items not being available for credits), we will run it again next year. Our Summer Games are on a yearly schedule.”
Having a yearly schedule does mean that players will eventually earn all the items, and considering how well received the game mode is it’s no surprise the Summer Games seasonal event will make a comeback.
