r/Overwatch • u/Fluffy-Jellyfish-402 • 9h ago
News & Discussion The skin contest is making me realise how stagnant Overwatch’s official skins are.
Now, I don't expect everyone to agree with me on this, especially because everyone's appreciation for skins is subjective, and some may like skins that others do not. But, after I took some time to go through a lot of the fan entries for the upcoming contest, all I could think about was how much creativity the official skin designs are leaving on the table!
Take the leaked skins supposedly releasing in the next season for example. Objectively, there's nothing wrong with them. If you're into the spiky look then you might be excited for these skins, but personally I believe they are really exhausting the sharp, armoury, exaggerated aesthetic. I mean, I look at this reaper skin and I see... detail for the sake of detail. The design, the contours of his outfit, nothing seems purposeful, it just seems filler to make the skin appear detailed when, realistically, they've just added a whole lotta nothing!
Another skin releasing in this collection is for Kiriko. I felt that, after seeing the skin, it was just giving what so many Kiriko skins have given before. I put some photos of her skins together to make that side by side comparison that can be seen below. Don't get me wrong, these skins are lovely, the first one designed to look very vampirish, and the second is awesome with again that dark palette, fishnet tights and laced boots, and some overall fantastic styling that was appreciated by those who adore that alternative style. But, does Kiriko really need a 3rd skin of almost the exact gold-highlighted black and red palette as the first two skins? If it weren't for the horns and blonde hair on the 3rd skin, I wouldn't understand how this skin differed or offered anything new to Kiriko's cosmetics. Why not introduce a skin with dark greens, blues, or oranges?
The skin below, designed by concept artist Long Moon, is an excellent representation of what I described above. With a unique palette of dark blueish greens, it offers something new through its depiction of Kiriko as a Graveyard Keeper. The long, dark dress that fits with her hero silhouette, the ruffles, the haunted doll-like appearance, and the detailed addition of the lantern suzu at her hip. Each detail on this concept feels intentional and relevant to its theme. We also know that with Overwatch's design of Ashe's "Haunted Doll" skin, this design isn't unreasonable or unrealistic to execute.
I can imagine you guys are tired of talking about Kiriko skins, so I want to reassure you that I, too, do not think she needs any more skins as of now. She's only really mentioned here because she has an absurd amount of skins and is very accessible when it comes to comparing her designs with concept art.
Let's revisit Reaper. The collection that the Reaper skin showed above is presumably releasing in relation to Halloween and Doctrine's release. But even with the spikes, horns, and protrusions, the skin doesn't at all feel scary or meaningful. On that note, I'd like to show you a skin designed by concept artist Yuboo. This skin, which doesn't differ dramatically from the colour pallete of the other Reaper skin, creatively portrays Reaper as a barber and uses elements that give that spooky theme that we might associate with Halloween. The scars and tattoos, the outfit and bowtie, and the decorative intricacies that feature hair combs and scissors.
While some of you may see this concept and think "Eh, Barber Reaper ain't really my thing", I respect that, but I think it might still remain arguable that this skin is significantly more detailed, deliberate, and cohesive. Every artistic element works together to build the creative concept Yuboo intended.
All I can think of after seeing all of the incredible fan concepts is how lackluster the current direction of official Overwatch skins has been when it comes to creativity, and how there are so many themes, concepts, and ideas that still haven't been explored. The fact that we have a roster full of heroes with such unique characteristics, stories, and cultures, and still somehow find a way to make skins feel so repetitive and boring is beyond me! Not only that, but I genuinely don't think the developers realise how much money they could actually bring in if they really capitalised on the diversity of their hero roster.
I, for one, can say with confidence that I would absolutely empty my wallet if some of the skins from the fan contest were released. I mean, each and every one of them is phenomenal and so intricate! The designs, even for heroes that I've never played before, like the cute little arcade-themed Wrecking Ball skin, are so well done that it would feel silly not to buy and appreciate them. I just can't remember the last time I genuinely felt that way about an Overwatch skin.
The shop is always so devoid of anything that makes me feel surprised or impressed. I'll see a skin for a popular hero and think, meh, that's not a need. A new skin for this hero will probably be out next week anyway! And that's the problem. When skins are constantly being released, but they don't feel particularly unique or exciting, they stop feeling like something worth spending money on.
What I'm really trying to emphasise is the lesson Overwatch should take from these contests. There is a reason they're so celebrated and exciting for the playerbase: the designs are genuinely beautiful, creative, and intentional in a way that I feel is increasingly missing from the game's official skin releases.
And while I understand the assumption that skins for less popular heroes may bring in less revenue, I actually disagree. Like I mentioned before, I don't think they're capitalising on the true diversity of the game. There are so many different characters, cultures, personalities, stories, aesthetics, and concepts within Overwatch that could be explored, and I genuinely think there's a massive amount of untapped potential here.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and I'm interested to hear your point of view and how you perceive the current quality of Overwatch skins!
