Overwatch celebrates 3-Year Anniversary with nine new hero skins and more
Blizzard’s team-based multiplayer shooter, Overwatch, is gearing up to celebrate its three-year anniversary with special event this week.
In 2016, Blizzard introduced us to the world of Overwatch, a team-based multiplayer shooter featuring a colorful cast of unique and diverse heroes, and polished game mechanics. Overwatch was met with wild enthusiasm; it received rave reviews, sold incredibly well and won numerous rewards.
Fast forward three years later, the game is still going strong. With fairly consistent updates introducing new heroes, maps and modes, and a focus on competitive eSports play, Overwatch is easily one of Blizzard’s most successful titles.
Now the developer is ready to celebrate the game’s third anniversary. Kicking off tomorrow is the 2019 Anniversary event for Overwatch, celebrating the game’s three-year anniversary.
Let's get this party started! 🎉🎂
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 18, 2019
The Overwatch Anniversary celebration begins on May 21! pic.twitter.com/pEh1upfdIv
As is tradition with these in-game events, players can expect new skins, dances, sprays and other cosmetics to celebrate the occasion. Additionally, all seasonal cosmetic items from past events – as well as most of the past seasonal brawls – will also become available. You can unlock these by purchasing them directly with in-game currency or leveling up to earn loot boxes (and then hoping they drop).
The 2019 Anniversary event will introduce nine new hero skins – six Legendary, three Epic. New dance emotes for Baptiste, Ashe and Wrecking Ball have also been confirmed. While Blizzard is saving most of the new cosmetics as a surprise, the developer did tease new skins for D.Va and Winston. Check them out below.
Time to raise my GPA.
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 19, 2019
Hit the books as Academy D․Va!
Overwatch Anniversary begins on May 21! pic.twitter.com/yLoZdchlE4
WinSTONE checking in.
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 20, 2019
Protect the payload as Gargoyle Winston!
Overwatch Anniversary begins on May 21! pic.twitter.com/ipt4WdBVpU
Overwatch‘s 2019 Anniversary event will run from May 21 through June 10. Logging in during this window will automatically grant you one free Legendary Anniversary Loot Box, which guarantees one Legendary item. If you purchase the 50 Loot Box Bundle, you’re also receive one bonus Legendary Anniversary Loot Box.
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To celebrate the three-year mark, Blizzard is giving anyone who hasn’t already played Overwatch a chance to do so for free with Trial event that runs from May 21 through May 28. Overwatch is available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, but the free trial is only available on consoles.
Running a game for three years is a feat, regardless of developer. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Blizzard and Overwatch, especially lately. With the slowing down of new heroes and a lack of new in-game events, complaints that Overwatch has become stale have been brewing for quite a while now. Blizzard has promised to address these issues, so it’ll be interesting to see what the developer has planned in the coming year.