Overwatch events are one of the most popular things about Blizzards surprise shooter, so much so that trying to predict those events is one of the most difficult and most rewarding tasks of the Overwatch player. These events bring at least one new game mode, and a bevy of new skins and other cosmetic items.
One such event that has been highly speculated upon is a potential tie-in with Chinese New Year, coming up on January 28th. Why do people think this is going to happen? A few reasons:
One, Blizzard promised many new events throughout 2017. In the video above, Game Director Jeff Kaplan said that there will be "some events you might guess that might be coming and some events that I don't think you have any ideas that we're working on." That is then coupled with the fact that Kaplan also shut down rumors that there would be a Valentines Day or Easter events. See the post below:
Enter Mei. The ice-themed Overwatch hero had a Winter Wonderland Event Skin with which not too many people were impressed, especially not for its supposed "Legendary" status. In a response to this criticism, Kaplan posted in the forums that "For people concerned that Mei is not going to get another Legendary for a long time, you need not worry. We have something pretty awesome for her early next year."
So what do we know, thus far? We know that there will be several new and exciting events for Overwatch in 2017. We know that Mei will be getting a Legendary skin in one of those events "early" this year, and we know that there won't be an event for either Valentines Day or Easter, eliminating two possible options for an early-year event. The fact that Mei is Chinese seems to be proof positive, for some people, of the existence of a Chinese New Year event.
The veracity of this rumor is dubious at best. "Early" could technically mean any time in the first half or quarter this year, Kaplan could simply be lying to us about the Valentines Day event, and I find it hard to believe that dataminers wouldn't have found something on a Chinese New Year event at this point.
That being said, if there is going to be a Chinese New Year event, time is running out. Overwatch patches always come on a Tuesday and end on a Tuesday. That means that there are only two more opportunities for the Chinese New Year event to drop before the real-life Chinese New Year – Jan. 17 (tomorrow) and Jan. 24.
I highly doubt it will start tomorrow, unless a surprise announcement is on today's forecast (remember, though, that the Winter Wonderland Event was announced a week in advanced). That means that, unless the event is announced tomorrow, I'd call this rumor a bust and start looking ahead to the next possible event (Groundhog Day, maybe? A Bill Murray skin would be a welcome addition to some lucky hero).
