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[MayauMiao]

If they want to make profit, there's always Rule 34.

 

[SidViscous]

Overwatch Classic when? Jeff and the original team knew how to make a fun game, Overwatch 2 feels like they handed the reigns to literal monkeys.

 

[Rickyiez]

Boohoo missing out bonus because releasing the same damn game.. Boohoo cry more

Bonus is a mean of reward, and there's nothing to reward from a lackluster product, so nothing surprising here.

 

[Filben]

Games performs bad because of higher ups' poor decision making so you get zero bonus. Makes sense.

 

[StereoVsn]

I feel bad for anyone reliant on bonuses who didn't see the lack of one coming. Especially for the people who are good at their jobs but hamstrung by less talented co-workers, poor supervisor / management / HR decisions, or company monetization requirements.

But I do think the policy of tying bonuses to the results of specific projects can benefit gaming consumers in the end. Whether that actually pans out is TBD.

As an aside, I am wondering if this is a clever way by a massive corporation to get employees on board with working harder (like occasional crunch) and moving away from stuff that will turn off parts of the known audience.

Yeah, the issue is that OW problems are going to be at management level that decides direction of the game and it’s monetization vs some code monkeys or artists working on it.

So it sounds like after the acquisition the onus is now is on a particular product team to produce. Problem with that solution is that the management is still the same.

So basically I can see some of the more talented folks, who can find a new gig easily, leave and the rest of average devs (artists, level designers, coders, etc) will get shafted. Note that MOST people will fit into this category, truly great devs are rare.

So I can’t help but think it’s basically a cost cutting measure by MS, including trying to get people to quit.

 

[NickFire]

Yeah, the issue is that OW problems are going to be at management level that decides direction of the game and it’s monetization vs some code monkeys or artists working on it.

So it sounds like after the acquisition the onus is now is on a particular product team to produce. Problem with that solution is that the management is still the same.

So basically I can see some of the more talented folks, who can find a new gig easily, leave and the rest of average devs (artists, level designers, coders, etc) will get shafted. Note that MOST people will fit into this category, truly great devs are rare.

So I can’t help but think it’s basically a cost cutting measure by MS, including trying to get people to quit.

As a consumer I like the idea of incentivizing the cream of the crop to identify each other and regroup in places where they become the majority. If a bunch of games that would have scored in the 65/75 range drop a few points in exchange for A couple that hit 95/99, that sounds like a win for me.

 

[wipeout364]

I personally think the battle passes and their new monetization is better than the predatory loot boxes. The Overwatch 2 battle pass is the fairest in the industry as far as completion goes.
That said I agree they have priced things too high and putting heroes in the battle pass was an odd choice.

I actually do think some of their woke character design may have turned some people off and they should be moving away from this but seemingly are doubling down with their new non-binary character.

At the end of the day it’s the gameplay and Overwatch has always struggled with it. Overwatch is probably too complex for its own good and really is probably never going to be properly balanced. Constantly tinkering is a major turnoff as people despise nerfs to their favorite characters. The recent patch just pretty much buffed everyone so it seems like Blozzard realizes this and we may now be entering an era of power creep which will bring its own problems.

As a team fortress fan for over 25 years I have a soft spot for Overwatch as it scratches some of the same itches but is on console so I keep playing despite the developers constantly pushing me away.

 

[MrTired]

Profit sharing requires profit, stunning game journalists

Overwatch wasn't profitable but Blizzard as a whole was. Prior to last year bonus was based on Blizzard as a whole and not what development team a dev was under.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Well it looks like it’s Over, on their Watch.