Pachimari is a fictional mascot within the world ofOverwatch 2, and players can purchase a keychain-like cosmetic of it that hangs on their character in-game, as well as purchase a real-life keychain of it via theofficial Blizzard storefront; guess which one is more expensive!
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Indeed, as first noted by Reddit useru/hi_im_redbeard, the real-life keychain puts you $5.00 in the hole, while the cosmetic (known as a Charm in-game) that you can hang on your character costs 700 coins, which would roughly translate to about $7.00. Overwatch 2 players have also been keen to point out that unless you had coins left over from a prior purchase, or had earned some from weekly challenges, you’d likely have to shell out more, as coin packs come in sets of 500 for $4.99 and 1000 for $9.99.
Given how unusual such a price disparity is, the post has become the most upvoted post of the year in the Overwatch 2 subreddit and has only fanned the flames further regarding fans' dislike of the current monetization model. Ever since Overwatch 2 launched back on October 4, its new free-to-play model has been the subject of incessant criticism. Many fans agree that the rewards on the free section of the Battle Pass are too trivial, that the new skin prices are too high, and that the weekly challenges don’t give out enough coins.
By performing all eleven weekly challenges, you earn a total of 60 coins; that’s the highest amount of coins that you can earn in a week without paying. Quick math lets us know that it would take twelve weeks simply to unlock the digital Pachimari keychain that costs 700 coins. It wasrecently discoveredthat the coin total to unlock all non-seasonal cosmetics for the newest support hero, Kiriko, was 15,600. Players would have to play the game for a total of five years to have them all, or shell out over $140.
With that being said, the monetization issues of Overwatch 2 aren’t as black and white as some might make it seem. Overwatch 2 is a high-end AAA product being worked on by very talented developers with equally appropriate salaries. Since the game is completely free, microtransaction prices do need to be higher for the game to be financially feasible, and subsequently profitable. However, it is undoubtedly amusing that an infinitely repeatable digital good is worth more money than a manufactured physical product that has a tangible use.
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