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Overwatch is almost 10 years old, and Blizzard has kicked off the anniversary celebrations, promising new skins, other cosmetics, and "a legendary good time." Unfortunately, the fanbase has been left rather disappointed with all three of those things, with one player summing up the mood by saying it "genuinely feels like we're being pranked."
The main rewards on offer for anyone who plays during the 10th Anniversary Event (which started yesterday and runs until June 1) are the Anniversary Loot Boxes. You can earn 15 of them over the course of three weeks, which contain a limited pool of rewards – most notably, Epic-rarity skins of the original Overwatch roster. Called the Decennium skins; they're purple-and-white recolors, and… that's about it. The loot boxes also contain new name cards, player icons, and sprays.
"My expectations were zero and I'm still disappointed," one Reddit user writes, sharing a screenshot of the shiny, purple Reinhardt skin. They add: "The 10th anniversary should be unforgettable, as it only ever happens once. They were on such a roll with the Overwatch refresh, new heroes, faster response to player feedback. How could they mess it up this bad? Genuinely feels like we're being pranked."
My expectations were zero and I'm still disappointed from r/Overwatch
Another asks, "what were they thinking with the Anniversary Lootboxes?" They write: "I thought although the Anniversary event was trash, we would at least with the Anniversary Lootboxes get something???? Like idk any Legendary or Epic from the game with a 100% rate or prism or something good . What THE HELL do you mean is just the ugly anniversary skins, stickers and sprays?" On a separate thread, another says: "I didn't know it was possible to be let down even more."
What doesn't help matters is that players in China are able to access a very different 10th anniversary event, which everyone agrees is just significantly better. As showcased by Reddit user Link4750 (below), the celebration includes a log-in bonus to grant Mythic Prisms, a premium currency which can be spent on valuable Mythic skins, as well as challenges to earn loot boxes and other currency, which can be spent on returning battle passes and other skins.
China's 10th Anniversary Event - In-Depth Look from r/Overwatch
"The previous battle pass skins loadout is actually such a missed opportunity for the rest of the world," one fan comments. Another writes: "This just makes me bummed out, rewards and loot boxes aside even the event interface is so much more unique and cool." As another puts it, "Ugh, Blizzard did us dirty."
While players outside of China can still receive a total of three Legendary loot boxes if folks complete the event's Global Lootbox Charge by finishing enough challenges, you can understand why people are feeling a bit let down. What's more, new skins – like the bunny-themed White Rabbit skins and the Date Night cosmetics – have been added to the game's shop to coincide with the event, but these all cost Overwatch coins, which Blizzard isn't forthcoming with giving out during the anniversary.
The whole thing has prompted comparisons to Marvel Rivals' big first-anniversary event last year, too, with one user saying that, in contrast, "this is super sad and disappointing."
Whether Blizzard decides to throw disappointed players a bone and hand out some extra rewards remains to be seen, but so far, it seems to be a very underwhelming celebration for the game, especially on the back of its recent rebrand and resurgence following the decision to drop the '2' from its name.
