Over at GamesIndustry.biz, industry analysts have checked in on their 2018 predictions and offered up a series of thoughts about the coming year. In one of the more interesting predictions, Michael Pachter believes that Overwatch will go free-to-play within the first six months of the year. Further, Patcher believes that Blizzard will offer a compensatory package of goodies to soothe the doubtless disgruntled community of players who have already purchased the game.
Activision will make Overwatch and Blackout free-to-play. I think that the 18 Overwatch League owners have been assured by Blizzard that it will expand the audience for Overwatch. The most expedient way to do this is to make the core game free-to-play in order to attract tens of millions of new users, who ostensibly will convert to OWL viewers. I expect this by mid-June (the third anniversary of the launch of the original game. Disgruntled players who bought the core game will likely be compensated by being given free stuff (skins or other cosmetic items). Blackout will go FTP at least a month prior to the launch of next year's Call of Duty, in order to promote the new game.
Read the full slate of 2019 predictions from industry analysts over at GamesIndustry.biz.
