Since Blizzard Entertainment added Orisa, the quadruped tank robot created by Numbanian genius inventor Efi Oladele, to Overwatch in 2017, fans have only wanted one thing: a reindeer-themed skin for the game’s annual Winter Wonderland event. Cruelly denied that Rudolph-inspired skin for four straight years, Overwatch fans will finally get some relief later this week, when the game’s Winter Wonderland 2021 holiday event kicks off.
Reindeer Orisa will come to Overwatch as an unlockable Legendary skin starting Dec. 16, when the annual end-of-year event begins. After years of begging, aggravation, and fan-created skins imagining Orisa as one of Santa Claus’ reindeer, this long-awaited version of Orisa will become reality — with a gift-wrapped Supercharger and a snow globe-infused Fusion Driver to complete the theme.
Here’s Blizzard confirming the skin in a tweet on Wednesday:
'Tis the season to make it rain-deer. 🦌
Dash into the season as Reindeer Orisa (Legendary). Overwatch Winter Wonderland begins Dec 16. pic.twitter.com/rpa35utXYN
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 15, 2021
Orisa mains are, naturally, over the moon.
Blizzard also confirmed two more Legendary skins for Winter Wonderland 2021 ahead of launch: Sleighing D.Va — a perfect Santa’s sleigh-themed complement for Orisa — and Ice Wraith Genji, in a pair of tweets.
Sleigh my name, sleigh my name.
Ride into winter as Sleighing https://t.co/mvJh2Ma0Wt (Legendary). Overwatch Winter Wonderland begins Dec 16. pic.twitter.com/jcRhgvRrkl
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 14, 2021
Flow like water, cold as ice.
Sacrif-ice your enemies as Ice Wraith Genji (Legendary). Overwatch Winter Wonderland begins Dec 16. pic.twitter.com/lgVybBUQV6
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 15, 2021
Stalwart Overwatch fans will have this year’s Winter Wonderland event — which will likely see the return of limited-time game modes and a flurry of cosmetics — to keep them busy from Dec. 16 through Jan. 6, 2022.
We still don’t know when we’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 additional delay for Overwatch 2 (but did not specify a release window) in November. 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.
Source: Polygon
