The end of a (crappy) era.

We already knew that Blizzard was doing away with paid loot boxes when Overwatch 2 launches in October, but we did not know until today when they would stop selling loot boxes in the original Overwatch. A new update from Blizzard says that they will finally sunset the sale of paid loot boxes on August 30.

Ahead of that date, Blizzard is doing one last hurrah with an Anniversary Remix event. The event, which began today, will give you about three weeks in which you can still earn loot boxes through play or by purchasing them within the game. If you really want to spend money on RNG, this is your last chance to do so.

Any remaining loot boxes still sitting unopened in your inventory when Overwatch 2 releases on October 4 will automatically be opened. It is on this date that the random loot will go away, and you will be able to directly purchase cosmetic items within the game. Though prices of these non-random cosmetics have not been confirmed, there were some suggestions signifying that Blizzard could charge upwards of $45 (USD) for more ornate cosmetics. Following the backlash to that potential price point, Blizzard said that the prices depicted in the survey were randomized and not really indicative of pricing on cosmetics.

Though Overwatch isn't the first game to implement an RNG-based loot box system, it was the game that became the spokesperson for it. For a period, nearly every game coming out included some sort of a loot box mechanic. Though some titles still have some sort of a loot box system, many games are shifting more towards simply allowing the player to directly purchase specific items that they desire or battle passes.