Blizzard To ‘Overwatch’ Players; ‘Summer Games Items’ Will Be In Loot Boxes, Deal With It

Blizzard has been receiving a hailstorm of complaints from players of “Overwatch” who are incensed that the “Summer Games Items” are not available for purchase through in-game credits. These special items are available for a limited time only, and loot boxes are very hard to get, so it stands to reason that not all players will be able to get their hands on these items. In response to the outcry, Blizzard says that players will just have to deal with it.

According to Polygon, Blizzard wanted the “Summer Games Items” to be special and rare. As such, allowing players to buy them via credits would defeat the point of their existence. By making them accessible only via “Loot Boxes,” Blizzard ensures that the items will be true to their original purpose, according to game director, Jeff Kaplan.

"We wanted the seasonal loot boxes to feel more rare and special and the items within them to feel more rare and special," Kaplan said. "For that reason they’ll only be available for the next few weeks and you won’t be able to buy them for credits either."

Kaplan added that they intentionally wanted to restrict the number of players that will be able to use the items since they didn’t want every single player “running around all the time in every single Summer Games item.” If all goes according to plan, however, players will get another shot at the seasonal loot boxes next year.

Blizzard also didn’t intend for players to take the event so seriously, Gamespot reports, since the items are meant to be fun and silly. Then again, putting them in “Loot Boxes” that can cost a lot of money does cast a shadow on the company’s intentions, and likely justifies the outrage from fans who will now need to invest a lot of time and money in order to collect as many of the items as possible.