The Overwatch Lunar New Year 2018 event has finally had its date announced. This yearly event has been slated to make its return once again, bringing with it a bunch of new skins and the likely return of Capture the Flag to the Arcade rotation. We'll be able to play Overwatch Year of the Pig in just a few short days!
Overwatch Lunar New Year 2018 will follow suit like the previous events. Each year, the event is based on a theme surrounding the current astrological sign of the Chinese Zodiac. This year's event is based on the Year of the Pig, hopefully meaning that we'll be getting some kind of piggy-themed skins. The announcement was made in a tweet on the game's official account:
https://twitter.com/PlayOverwatch/status/1085975038606667777
As you can see, the dates for the Overwatch Year of the Pig event will be January 24, 2019–February 18, 2019. They will give players five opportunities to score bonus event loot boxes in the Arcade when the tracker resets on Monday night at 7:00 PM Eastern Time.
Of course, players are curious as to what exactly we'll be getting in the Overwatch Lunar New Year 2018 event. I think it's safe to say that we'll see the return of Capture the Flag as that is the signature game mode for this event. Capture the Flag was originally introduced in 2017's Year of the Rooster. The game mode also features special versions of the game's maps for this mode along with some unique maps made especially for the game mode. The short Twitter video showcases what is likely a brand-new highlight intro for Soldier: 76, a hero that recently had a fair bit of backstory revealed in a short story featuring Ana.
One other thing to consider is the Overwatch release schedule. Typically, the fine folks at Blizzard Entertainment release certain pieces of content during certain months. January is the month when we should be getting a new map, and Redditors on the /r/Overwatch subreddit are speculating that we'll be getting a full Control Map version of the Ayutthaya CTF map that was introduced last year. Rumors have been floating around that the map would see conversion to a regular game mode map for some time. Of course, it's just speculation—we may very well get something else entirely for Overwatch Lunar New Year 2018.
You'll be able to play Overwatch Year of the Pig on January 24, 2019. As always, you can pick the game up for yourself for $39.99 or your regional equivalent at Blizzard's website. That is, unless they decide to run another free weekend. They just might! As for you folks who already own the game, don't forget that you still have a few days to participate in Ana's Bastet Challenge!
If you're looking for something different, Overwatch teamed up with Dillongoo to make this unique animated short depicting the Overwatch characters in a new way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO6UVPRWtCI
Are you looking forward to the Overwatch Lunar New Year 2018 event? What are your expectations this time around? What skins do you think we'll get in Overwatch Year of the Pig? Let us know in the comments below!
