Overwatch 2’s Steam release has been review bombed

Thousands of users have flooded Overwatch 2's Steam store listing with negative reviews almost immediately after its release for a variety of reasons.

The details:

• Overwatch 2 was finally released on Steam on August 10 as Blizzard's first non-Battle.net release in many years, as the first step in the publisher's plans to begin offering its titles on other PC storefronts. Despite Blizzard's claims that the industry has "evolved" and that it wants to "break down barriers," players must still have a Battle.net account to play the game.
• However, fan reaction to the launch has been mixed, with over 42,107 negative reviews on Steam at the time of writing, and many of the 12% of positive reviews being joke reviews. The reasons for the flood of negative feedback include harsh criticism of the game's current free-to-play structure and battlepass, Blizzard's unexpected decision to cut its PvE Hero missions despite being one of the main reasons for the sequel's release, and a general dislike for the company due to its numerous controversies.
• Despite the negative feedback, the game has done well on the platform thus far, reaching a peak of 75,608 concurrent players (via SteamDB) at the time of writing and continuing to grow. The game's increased availability on PC may bring it back into the spotlight, but it appears that Blizzard will need to make some major changes to keep its playerbase.

More gaming news:

• Rockstar Games has announced that Red Dead Redemption will be ported to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 later this month, prompting a generally negative reaction from fans, with many labeling the move as "lazy" after rumors of a full remake coming to current-generation consoles.
• Xbox plans to have one of its "biggest booths ever" at Gamescom 2023. Some of its most popular titles, including Forza Motorsport, Towerfall, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, are expected to be playable by show attendees.