IRVINE, Calif. — Following controversy surrounding Overwatch 2’s expensive and exclusive coin-only cosmetic bundles, Activision Blizzard sought to revamp the in-game economy by adding a fifth new virtual currency in the form of a Faustian Bargain.
“We’ve heard the fans, and the Overwatch Team are working hard to bring positive changes to the Battle Pass going forward,” said Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller during a Developer Update video. “The most common request we heard from the fanbase was for more ways to unlock certain cosmetics outside of the shop. That’s why this season we’re bringing the Overwatch community new ways to play and unlock all the wonderful content we’ve been cooking up. And that starts with our brand new currency option, the Faustian Bargain.”
Along with Overwatch 2’s Legacy Credits, Competitive Points, League Tokens, and Overwatch Coins, this marks the game’s fifth virtual currency, which gives players the option of obtaining whatever their heart desires, though such a diabolical pact comes with a cost.
“We aim to provide the Overwatch player base with a greater multitude of methods for unlocking any cosmetics, heroes, gamemodes or devilish favors they see fit,” continued Keller, nervously glancing away to someone off-camera. “More currency options mean more opportunities to suit a greater variety of play styles. We’re not replacing anything, and players will still be able to grind matches for golden weapons if they like. But if for whatever reason you’re unable to invest the money or time for that new Reinhardt skin, you now have the option to sign away your immortal soul to Mephistopheles in exchange for whatever glorious prizes you seek.”
Activision Blizzard revealed more details on the infernal deal in an online ARG experience that saw players working together to decode old Latin invocations and carve abyssal runes into their flesh. While a handful of religious institutions denounced the addition, the ability to sell one’s soul to both demonic and corporate masters proved a natural fit for most Overwatch players.
“Finally! I’ve been asking for some sort of option like this for a while,” wrote one Battle.net user. “I’ve been playing Overwatch since release so I’ve got just about every cosmetic, but naturally you miss a few things. But now, I was able to trade away my divine autonomy to the great Father of Lies down below to retroactively unlock the Pink Mercy skin. I’ve only got like 6 hours on Mercy, but maybe I’ll actually start playing her more now.”
Another Overwatch player chimed in to share their experience with the new feature.
“Oh, this new ‘deal with the devil’ thing is great. I’m newer to the game, but everyone else is so experienced I was constantly getting outplayed,” wrote user iMerc20. “But with just the click of a button, an unholy succubus appeared. I signed her little ancient scroll and boom, I instantly made it to Top 500! Granted the players are VERY good, so I haven’t been able to rank up past 493, but the dark forces that be take over so I never drop down to Grandmaster. The best part is that it only cost me my firstborn child.”
In tandem with Blizzard’s announcement, the Minions of Hell’s Domain released a joint statement on the shared venture.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be joining forces once again with our friends at Activision,” wrote Mephistopheles, messenger of Satan. “We’ve had a long, rich history working together, sharing ideas and crafting incredible additions to the gaming industry. From adding microtransactions to Crash Team Racing, to just totally fucking up Bungie for a couple years there, we’ve been proud to have a hand in all your favorite experiences. And now we are thrilled to be able to continue providing our services to Blizzard and the Overwatch Team. You may have previously seen our work in the form of Hanzo’s scatter arrow or Mercy’s five-man rez. While we were sad to see those features removed from the game — and trust us, Jeff Kaplan paid the ultimate price for not fulfilling his end of the bargain — we are positive that Aaron Keller will be instrumental in helping usher in a new era for Overwatch. Assuming he should succeed where his predecessor failed, that is. He knows all that we’ve done for him, and he’s seen the consequences of failure, firsthand.”
Activision Blizzard has announced further exciting updates in the following week, including a faster way to rank up in Heroes of the Storm by sacrificing livestock to Baphomet.
