Overwatch Archives 2021 Gets Historical Cosmetic Skins

Overwatch's Archives 2021 event is officially underway, with the usual round of cosmetic rewards for playing during the event period. While Archives events often focus on retro looks for the roster of playable heroes, this time they're extremely retro. Think 200 or so years ago at least.

The event includes five legendary skins along with some new epic recolors. The legendary skins are Soldier 1776, a look inspired by the patriots in the American Revolution; Mousquetaire Widowmaker, inspired by the French musketeer soldiers; Bushi Genji, modeled after Japanese samurai; Cavalry Tracer, based on British cavalry regiments; and Polyanitsa Zarya, based on the Russian warriors.

Overwatch Archives events are known for their PvE story maps, which so far have included Uprising, Retribution, and Storm Rising. This year's event includes new Challenge missions for variations on each of those maps, and you can earn cosmetic rewards like the epic skins and sprays by earning stars through play.

Blizzard has seemed to shift most of its Overwatch development resources to Overwatch 2, which does not yet have a set release date. Overwatch is still getting regular event updates along with some quality-of-life features like a recent Xbox Series X|S upgrade. For more on Overwatch and its sequel, along with Jeff Kaplan's magnificent COVID beard, check out our in-depth interview with Kaplan.