Team Fortress 2's Halloween Event Will Be Driven by Fans This Year

Valve has decided against creating its own Halloween event for Team Fortress 2 this year due to the fact that it would put a hold on other TF2 updates it's working on. Instead, this year's Halloween event will see the return of all past events, as well as a selection of the best content made by fans.

A new blog post on the TF2 website explains work is underway on the game's next big update. Due out before the end of the year, it'll consist of new maps, cosmetic items, and a campaign event (similar to the ongoing Gunmettle one), as well as competitive matchmaking, various balance and performance improvements, and an official release for Mannpower mode. With that being Valve's focus, what it isn't doing is designing a new Halloween event like those we've seen in the past (so it turns out those UFOs are unrelated to the holiday).

"The reality is, if we produce a holiday-specific event map this year, it means we'll have to stop working on everything else," Valve says. "So: We've decided to turn Halloween mostly over to you. This year's Halloween Update will be a showcase of all the best Halloween-themed community content (items, maps, taunts, and unusuals) you guys can come up with."

Everything submitted to the Workshop with the Halloween tag between now and October 18 will be considered for inclusion by Valve. Whereas existing Halloween items typically can only be used on Halloween (or full moons), this year's new community-made Halloween items will be usable at all times.

Alongside whatever goodies that fans create, Valve will enable access to the six Halloween update events from the past. Whether you weren't able to partake in one or simply have missed being able to play them on Valve's servers, you'll have your chance to take down the Horseless Headless Horsemann, the Monoculus (a giant version of the Demoman's lost eye), and all the rest next month.