The Lego Group has indefinitely delayed the release of a new Lego set based on Overwatch 2, according to a statement from the company posted by The Brick Fan. Lego said the decision to push back the set comes as the company is “reviewing” its partnership with Activision Blizzard over concerns about how the game publisher is handling allegations of a toxic workplace culture and gender discrimination at the company.
Lego’s statement, released Tuesday, says in full:
We are currently reviewing our partnership with Activision Blizzard, given concerns about the progress being made to address continuing allegations regarding workplace culture, especially the treatment of female colleagues and creating a diverse and inclusive environment. While we complete the review, we will pause the release of a LEGO Overwatch 2 product which was due to go on sale on February 1, 2022.
Polygon has reached out to The Lego Group for additional information and will update this story when the company responds.
The Lego Overwatch 2 Titan set is based on a scene from the game’s announcement cinematic from BlizzCon 2019. It features Lego minifigures of Overwatch heroes Tracer and Mei in a battle against an Omnic Titan. The set was announced in December.
Lego and Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of Overwatch, have partnered on multiple Lego sets and minifigure releases since 2018. A Lego-themed skin for Bastion and other Lego-themed cosmetics also appear in the original Overwatch.
Fans still don’t know when they’ll get the Overwatch sequel that Blizzard announced back in 2019, but we know it won’t be any time soon. Blizzard Entertainment announced an indefinite delay for Overwatch 2 in November 2021. Parent company Activision Blizzard said it was giving the development team “extra time to complete production and continue growing their creative resources to support the titles after launch,” acknowledging turmoil and turnover at Blizzard as contributing to the game’s longer-than-expected development.
Activision Blizzard is currently facing multiple lawsuits and federal investigations, as well as calls for its CEO, Bobby Kotick, to resign over serious allegations of sexual harassment and assault at the publisher and its studios, including Blizzard. Those allegations and Activision Blizzard’s handling of the accusations have led multiple corporate sponsors to distance themselves from Activision Blizzard and its Overwatch esports league in recent months.
Source: Polygon
