If the real snow is making you want to stay inside, Overwatch’s new holiday extravaganza can bring you some white Christmas cheer without having to venture out into the elements.
Winter Wonderland, the holiday event for Blizzard’s team-based shooter on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, is now live. It adds new cosmetics, including costumes, animations, and sprays, for its cast that players can unlock through loot boxes. You can earn those either by leveling up, winning games in the Arcade mode, or by purchasing them. For Blizzard, these special events gives players an enticing reason to keep playing and potentially spend more money.
Overwatch already has more than 20 million players since launching in May. In that short time, it has become one of the most popular games for both competitive and more casual players with a growing esports scene. These in-game activities and the new content they bring are part of Blizzard’s recipe for success, since they give players something to look forward to and keep playing for.
This is the third special event for Overwatch. The first two focused on the Summer Olympics and Halloween. Winter Wonderland also includes a special game mode, Mei’s Snowball Offensive. It has two teams of six players, all using the ice-loving character Mei, fighting each other by throwing snowballs. How festive!