Overwatch Anniversary event has finally gone live on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC now. Blizzard prepared jam-packed commemorative loot boxes for players and fans, which include awesome skins, dance emotes, and sprays, and three new maps.
To celebrate the game’s commercial success since its launch a year ago, the anniversary event is slated to run from May 23 to June 12. To further convince non-Overwatch players, Blizzard is conducting a free-to-play weekend.
Loot boxes and anniversary skins
Blizzard will be unleashing a total of 100 commemorative rewards.
This is by far their largest release ever of their Legendary skins. From May 23 until June 12, Anniversary Loot Boxes will up for grabs, and by logging in between those dates, players will get to pick up a free box, too.
You can check out the amazing character skins above, including Jazzy Lúcio, Sentai Genji, and Cruiser D.Va. For players who have enough in-game credits, these Anniversary Loot Boxes will also be available for purchase. However, these will be locked away once Blizzard’s event has ended. For the game’s update today, these include new emotes for Orisa and Sombra.
Arena maps
Three new Arena Maps are also included in the Overwatch Anniversary event. These include Castillo, Necropolis, and the Black Forest.
Last May 18, these maps were teased and all 3 have taken design cues from the existing Temple of Anubis, Eichenwalde, and Dorado locations.
According to GameSpot, these are basically “small maps built for intense action” and have been added to the Arcade, supporting up to 3v3 elimination matches.
Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition
As an added bonus, Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition can be purchased for $40 as a special introductory price. This will be available for all platforms, including PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Blizzard notes that this contains "the full roster of Overwatch heroes, maps, and game features, as well as an arsenal of bonus content and Overwatch-themed goodies for several Blizzard Entertainment games." Plus, there will an additional ten loot boxes.
If you don’t have the game yet, players can get to purchase the standard edition of Overwatch for $30 until June 5. Plus, for $10, players can upgrade to the GOTY edition if they have the core game.
Free-to-play weekend
To further convince players, Blizzard is offering a free-to-play weekend from May 26 to May 29. For players who decide to purchase the game at the end of the free-to-play weekend, then they get to keep every progress made during the trial period.
