Overwatch 2 players who have collected the different character skins available from the game's Archives events over the years are able to see how some of the game's heroes have aged throughout the span of events that take place in the rich world of Overwatch 2. Not only that, some of the skins also provide an insight into the lore events that the characters themselves were involved in.
As any invested Overwatch 2 fans will know, Blizzard have put a great deal of effort and care into developing a fleshed-out world and storyline for its hugely popular online hero-shooter. Each of the 35 currently-playable heroes have their own lengthy backstories, with many of the characters having complex relationships with each other. Blizzard's series of cinematic shorts, alongside character voice lines and occasional events that happen in-game, help players learn more about the world and story of Overwatch 2.
A fan-made edit from the Reddit user SeeOurTea does a good job in illustrating the gradual changes to heroes which are revealed through their cosmetic skins. The edit highlights a few different heroes from the roster, including Reinhardt, Moira, Soldier 76, Ana, Hanzo, and Torbjorn. Each hero has their own set of Archives skins which represent the character at different lore-accurate points throughout their lives. Cycling through these skins allows fans to clearly see how each hero has changed up to the current point in Overwatch 2.
For instance, Reinhardt's skins show how he went from being a young German Crusader to an older agent of Overwatch, while continuing the age and grow out an even bushier beard. Moira's Blackwatch skin shows her at a younger age, wearing a more experimental suit while she served Overwatch's Blackwatch division with Genji, Cassidy, and Reyes, who is more widely known by fans as Reaper. The video doesn't include every character with unique Archive skins, however. While most other heroes have some range of lore-accurate skins, one other good example would be Genji, whose cosmetics reveal his transition into becoming a cyborg and how his cybernetic form continued to develop.
While not every Overwatch 2 fan cares for the game's lore, there's no doubt that the deep character backstories and world-building are crucial elements of Overwatch 2's identity, and certainly helps to set the title apart from other games of its kind. That said, fans with an interest in the story of the game have a lot to look forward to in the future thanks to a fully-fledged, cooperative PvE mode coming to Overwatch 2 sometime next year, which will allow players to experience a wealth of new story content.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.