Overwatch is in the midst of its Summer Games 2021 event, giving players the chance to hop back into the limited-time Lucioball game mode and unlock a variety of seasonal skins. Not only are all the Summer Games skins from past seasons available for Overwatch players to unlock, but there's also a fresh batch of skins to add to one's collection as well. Most of the Overwatch Summer Games 2021 skins seem to have been well-received by fans of the game, though Ashe's new skin has received some criticism from the community.
For Overwatch Summer Games 2021, players can unlock the Poolside Ashe skin as one of the premiere legendary skins for the event. The Poolside Ashe skin swaps the character's usual western-themed attire with poolside clothing. It also swaps her deadly rifle with a water gun variant and gives Bob a summer-themed makeover as well, complete with Hawaiian shirt. Most fans seem to like the Poolside Ashe skin, except for one detail that's off.
As pointed out by Reddit user Local-Store-491 in a post that has since gone viral, the Poolside Ashe skin is missing the character's iconic arm tattoos, which includes the Deadlock Rebels tattoo, central to Ashe's character and reflective of her history with the Deadlock Gang. For some reason, the Poolside Ashe skin's arm is bare except for a couple of bracelets.
Am I the only one who thinks they took away a bit of ashe's character by removing the tattoos for her pool skin? Is it a bug? Am I really that much of a party pooper? I really like the tattoo flex when she does her melee, It really fits her rebel character (for me at least). from Overwatch
Comments on the post provide various humorous explanations as to why Ashe's tattoos aren't visible in her Summer Games 2021 skin. Others point out that Ashe's missing tattoos are especially weird considering Widowmaker's Summer Games skin retains her tattoos, and other tattooed characters keep them in their various skins as well. Considering this, it's unclear if this was just an oversight on Blizzard's part or if this was a deliberate design choice, for whatever reason that might be.
The Overwatch Summer Games event comes at a time when Activision Blizzard is embroiled in a gender discrimination lawsuit, alleging a toxic work environment, sexual harassment, and a variety of other issues. As a result of the lawsuit and the controversy surrounding it, Blizzard has gone radio silent on its various social media channels.
This controversy has potentially seen an Overwatch Deathmatch map delayed as well. Apparently, Blizzard was prepping an Overwatch Deathmatch map called Malevento for a PTR debut, but scrapped those plans due to the ongoing situation. It's unclear when that map may make its way into the game now.
Overwatch is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.