After the release of new hero Orisa, one would think Blizzard would be biding their time before we heard anything new from Overwatch beyond new balance fixes. The Overwatch twitter begs to differ, however, putting out a cryptic tweet teasing at, well, we’re not entirely sure what it is.
Initiating archive declassification…
Mission files unlock: April 11RETWEET to confirm. pic.twitter.com/GUvthyskCm
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) April 3, 2017
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In an interview with PCGamesN, Jeff Kaplan mentions that there will be a “Playable element” to this new Overwatch event, citing fan requests for “a non-real-world-tied event”. The video itself mentions an “Omnic Uprising” from “7 years ago”, so it has us excited for how it could turn out. The video mentions the event will be “declassified” on April 11th, so I guess it’s just a matter of waiting to find out.
SPECULATION TIME, below are some discussion points from the video-
1) The video mentions an “Omnic Uprising” and says the archived files in question are from an event 7 years ago. Given the proximity to Orisa’s release as well as the Orisa trailer straight-up name-dropping Doomfist, I doubt this event will have anything to do with a new hero.
2) MANDATORY ROBOT REGISTRATION- this poster is seen in the background of the video the whole time. What appears to be a QR code is situated behind a picture of the Omnics, but any attempts to have scanned it have been met with failure. with
3) New Tracer Skin- Giving more credence to the likelihood of a flashback event, close perusal of the trailer reveals what appears to be a new skin for Overwatch’s mascot character. She appears to be wearing an Overwatch uniform to match Commander Morrison and Captain Amari, as seen below:
4)I’ve scoured through many a comment and even asked fans on twitter for their thoughts, and seem to come across a recurring speculation: Overwatch fans are finally getting a PvE mode, much like the limited Junkenstein’s Revenge event during Halloween. Almost every speculative post I’ve seen looks like this
OOOOOO im thinking it might be a lore-related game mode/event, like junkensteins revenge during halloween???
— It's Mimint! (@itsmimint) April 5, 2017
It seems many a fan are thinking and hoping for this to mean Overwatch is getting a nice Co-op mode. It’s definitely a good thing for both the consumer and Blizzard if they do- fans who want to play but are intimidated by online play finally get a way to enjoy the game with friends, and subsequently Blizzard gets a bigger install base. In the event that’s not what the event is, however, it’s definitely something Blizzard should consider in future, should this event go well.
/Speculation end
So there we have it, folks- a new Overwatch event, with something in it for all us loreheads. Are you excited for a non-seasonal event? Do you have high hopes that your waifu is getting a new skin? Share your speculations and info below, and we’ll keep you notified when anything new develops.