It holds true that the "Overwatch" anniversary is about to come full circle. However, data miners are yet to be done with it. In fact, one of them was able to acquire key information hinting at a possible return of the titular Summer Games event.
An "Overwatch" data miner by the name of Richard Gryffon was able to obtain details hidden on the game’s public test realm. The latter is basically a test server that gives access to players for any upcoming contents and/or updates.
Apparently, Gryffon unearthed information that pertains to Blizzard reintroducing the aforementioned event.
What the data mined icons meant in 'Overwatch'
In one way or another, the new icons could somehow refer to the in-game maps. This is due to the fact that they do not necessarily correspond directly to a character’s place of origin. Interestingly, there is an inclusion of New Zealand’s flag, which could mean forthcoming content for the heroes originating from this country. These are namely, Roadhog and Junkrat, the Junkers.
Apart from the above mentioned, there are also flags from other countries such as Iraq and India, both of which refers to Oasis and Symmetra, respectively.
Added to these are Spain (refers to the map Watchpoint: Gibraltar) and Antartica (Mei or Ecopoint Antartica). If all of these point in one direction, then it is very likely for the Summer Games event to resurface.
It was already hinted in at the past
Interestingly though, this is not the first hint "Overwatch" fans have obtained from the game. Previously, data miners were able to collect a spray. As a matter of fact, the game’s very own game director Jeff Kaplan iterated that Year Two will be more about improving existing events the moment they introduce them the second time around. So, in a sense, these events will be mostly packed with new features and stuff. This could really mean something huge for the entire community.
It should be noted, though, that it was also Kaplan who mentioned about their plan to slow down the release of events in "Overwatch." They believe that if they continue to do it at a fast pace, players might suffer from a so-called event fatigue. Going back to the Summer Games event, if this is going to happen, then it would likely be unleashed sometime in August. The game's current Anniversary event along with the double XP weekend are expected to end today, though the former does not have a specific end time.