Jeff Kaplan acknowledges Overwatch Anniversary Event loot box complaints

The Overwatch Anniversary Event got underway earlier this week, and sadly, not everyone is happy. The complaints stem from the loot boxes that contain all that sweet anniversary swag—108 pieces in total, which according to Reddit's calculations (via USGamer) cost more than 56,000 credits to buy. That's a lot of credits, especially in comparison to previous events, such as Uprising, which featured 95 items worth a total of 37,000 credits.

The difference, as the post explains, is the presence of 11 Legendary skins, which on their own weigh in at 33,000 credits. And sure, nobody's putting a gun to your head and forcing you to grind for this stuff, but the reality is that everybody wants it, and placing it too far out of reach just annoys people, something Blizzard works hard to avoid. To that end, game director Jeff Kaplan took to the Overwatch forums to acknowledge the problem and invite continued discussions about "rewards, loot boxes, and anniversary cosmetic items."

"I just wanted to acknowledge that we've been following the threads about the loot box rewards as they pertain to the anniversary events, other events and loot boxes in general. The feedback and suggestions have been helpful to us," Kaplan wrote. "We had a really great discussion yesterday about the feedback we've been hearing this week. While I don't have any immediate action items to report, I thought it was important for you to know that we are listening."

It's not a promise, or even a suggestion, of an adjustment in the future, but I'm inclined to think that if Blizzard wasn't at least thinking about fiddling a bit, Kaplan wouldn't have brought the matter up like this in the first place. And if there's one thing Blizzard likes to do, it's fiddle.

The Overwatch Anniversary Event is live now and runs until June 12. Don't forget that a free weekend kicked off today for gamers who are curious but non-committal, offering access to the full lineup of heroes, maps and modes until midnight PT on May 29.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.