2021 has been a rough year for Overwatch fans, with allegations levied against Activision Blizzard for gender discrimination and sexual misconduct leaving many feeling different about their favorite hero-shooter. The allegations and lawsuits surrounding Activision Blizzard in 2021 even saw Damage hero McCree renamed to Cassidy, as the fan favorite cowboy was named after one of the developers who was part of the scandals, and it's likely that the impact of the situation will be felt in the game for years to come.
In terms of the actual game, Overwatch did not see much in the way of significant new content in 2021. The development team is obviously busy with working on the sequel, the long-awaited Overwatch 2, which means that those still playing the original have been treated to new skins and some Deathmatch maps, but not much else. There hasn't been a new Overwatch hero added to the game in nearly two years, and it doesn't look like anyone will be making their debut until the sequel arrives.
There once was a time when optimistic Overwatch fans thought that Overwatch 2 would launch in 2021, but those hopes have since been dashed. They then had their fingers crossed that the Overwatch 2 launch could come at some point in 2022, but now that seems unlikely as well. Recent influencer reports have cast a positive light on Overwatch 2's development, but some fans are still growing impatient regardless.
Another big blow to Overwatch this year was the departure of game director Jeff Kaplan. Jeff Kaplan is the creator of Overwatch and has been the face of the game's development team since its introduction. After Overwatch's launch, Kaplan became known for his development updates, letting fans of the hero-shooter know about new maps, characters, and more that they could expect to see added to the game.
Kaplan was the face of Overwatch and his departure has left many fans uncertain about the sequel and if it will live up to their lofty expectations. The original Overwatch set an incredibly high bar, and there are many worried that Overwatch 2 will fail to live up to the hype. It's way too early to make that call, but there's no denying that Kaplan was an integral part of the Overwatch team and the game wouldn't have been the same without his contributions.
Kaplan's popularity with fans grew thanks to the regular development updates he shared with him as well as his transparency whenever it came to making a big decision that would change the game. Kaplan made sure to provide an explanation for major Overwatch changes to ease fans' concerns, like when the controversial role queue system was announced or whenever a hero was subjected to a significant rework.
Besides providing regular updates to fans about new Overwatch content, Kaplan also started an annual Christmas tradition where he would stream himself sitting in front of a yule log for hours. These annual Christmas streams saw Kaplan do basically nothing, though he would sometimes say something interesting or tease fans. These Overwatch Yule Log streams happened every year from 2017 to 2019, but there was no 2020 version, perhaps due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that kept many of Blizzard's employees at home instead of at the office.
Any fans hoping for the Overwatch Yule Log stream to return for 2021 have been disappointed. Since Kaplan left Blizzard, it seems as though the team didn't think anyone else would be a good fit to continue the tradition.
Jeff Kaplan's departure from Blizzard means that the Overwatch Yule Log stream tradition is effectively over, unless another member of the development team decides to take the baton and do it next year. But while the Overwatch Yule Log stream isn't happening this year, the hero-shooter is celebrating the holiday season in other ways.
For example, Overwatch brought back its Winter Wonderland event for 2021, giving players the chance to play limited-time game modes and unlock a variety of holiday-themed skins. The Overwatch Winter Wonderland event lasts until January 6, so fans of the hero-shooter still have quite a bit of time to play and unlock some of the special seasonal content.
Another way Overwatch is celebrating Christmas this year is by releasing holiday-themed art featuring its characters celebrating the holidays. This included some fresh Overwatch Christmas art showing a holiday party with Mercy, Ashe, Genji, and Wrecking Ball, as well as another one that shows the characters donning their Winter Wonderland skins.
So while the Overwatch Yule Log stream tradition may be over, it seems as though the game will still be celebrating the holiday season in other ways. Hopefully next year will bring with it good news for Overwatch fans, like maybe a new look at Overwatch 2 and a better idea of when they will actually get to play the long-awaited game.
Overwatch is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.