Over the years, Overwatch fans have created thousands of custom hero skin concepts—but now, for the first time, players will have a shot at seeing their designs officially added to Overwatch 2… if they live in China.
NetEase, Blizzard’s publishing partner in China, has announced a special fan contest allowing Chinese players to submit original hero skin designs. The theme of the competition is “What if the Omnic Crisis never happened?”—a reference to the pivotal in-game event that shaped the Overwatch universe and its heroes.
Contestants must avoid copying existing skins and ensure their designs are realistic enough to be translated into 3D models. AI-generated art is strictly banned. Once submissions are in, voting will begin on September 26. A jury will account for 90% of the decision-making, while the community vote will make up the remaining 10%. The Overwatch development team will have the final say on which skin gets added to the game.
However, this competition is only available to players in China, and that’s sparked frustration across the global Overwatch community. Fans outside of China are calling on Blizzard to open up similar contests worldwide.
“Blizzard should absolutely run community skin contests for every region, like Dead by Daylight does—multiple fan-made skins added to free battle pass tiers,” one fan suggested. “Why not do it during the anniversary and make it global?”
Others were more critical: “I love being part of the main audience and getting nothing in return—just more chances to spend money. Everything’s China-exclusive now!” another user wrote.
Many are hopeful that Blizzard will take the overwhelming fan interest as a sign to launch a global skin design contest in the future—giving all players a chance to leave their creative mark on Overwatch 2.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ