Overwatch Chinese New Year event skins, details leak out early (update)

A trailer for Overwatch’s next seasonal event based on the upcoming Chinese New Year, has made its way online. A member of the Chinese social network Weibo uploaded a low-res version of a teaser for the Year of the Rooster promotion, which is set for Jan. 24.

The trailer, which is an advertisement for the Chinese market, is grainy, but it gives fans a quick look at costumes for a variety of heroes. Symmetra is decked out in a red-and-gold dress, appropriate for the holiday. Roadhog, Reinhardt, Winston and Zenyatta resemble characters from the classic Chinese story Journey to the West, which boasts a cast full of animals that are also featured in the Zodiac.

The quartet’s skins are seen more clearly in another ad that made it online ahead of the trailer. A poster showing the four in their Chinese New Year outfits and advertising an Overwatch-related promotion from Chinese ticketing service Gemara also appeared on forums late last week. The ad purportedly offers an Overwatch game from Jan. 24-31.

Fans are also noticing from the trailer that it looks like a “Capture the Flag” mode could finally be coming to Overwatch with this season event. Tracer is seen guarding a flag toward the video’s end. This would mark that particular event’s first appearance in Overwatch, if that’s the case.

Strangely, the trailer suggests a start date of Jan. 31, although Chinese fans say that the ad is offering a discount on the game for local players from Jan. 31-Feb. 6. Chinese New Year begins Jan. 28, and Blizzard has previously announced a Jan. 24 kickoff, at least stateside. We’ve reached out to Blizzard about the video in the meantime and for clarification and will update accordingly.

Update: A higher quality trailer from a Spanish-speaking outpost has made it online; it’s embedded below. It appears to confirm a “Capture the Flag” game mode, as well as shows costumes for characters like Tracer and Junkrat.

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