Overwatch fans demand permanent dance emotes, but they’re not looking likely

Those dances everyone loves in Overwatch aren’t going to be around for much longer. Despite players’ pleas to Blizzard Entertainment for permanent dance emotes, the company confirmed on Twitter that they’re specifically tied to the current Anniversary event.

“The dance emotes are Overwatch Anniversary event items,” the game’s account replied to a fan asking whether they’ll be available after the event ends this weekend.

Players’ response to this has been one of disappointment. Dance emotes have been a top request from Overwatch players for months. When Blizzard introduced the array of moves into Anniversary loot boxes several weeks ago, fans felt that their wish had finally been granted. It helped that these emotes are really, really good:

But event items are typically impermanent unlockables. Collecting every dance emote takes a lot of time, credits and loot boxes — and those who don’t think they’ll be able to get them all in time started petitioning Blizzard to throw them into normal loot boxes, too.

“Just like with sitting emotes, these emotes are a great way to be friendly and interact with your team and the enemy team,” one user wrote in a thread about the dance emotes. “Personally, it would be sad to never be able to unlock the emotes after this short event.”

A highly upvoted thread is more insistent.

“Please Blizzard!” Redditor widowmakerhusband wrote. “Make dance parties be a thing! I want all but I want the skins and loot boxes don’t give me shit. Blizzard please.”

With the Anniversary event almost over, time is running out for players to get all the dance emotes. The sheer cost of getting these seasonal items — the randomness of loot box drops can lead to a lot of frantic, last-minute purchases — has left many frustrated with the event overall.

Blizzard’s note that, no, these dance parties were going to be available for a limited time was unsurprisingly met with jeers.

“I'd be fine with the emotes and items being tied to the event if they weren't triple the damn amount of coins they take to get,” wrote one in a thread of enraged responses to the tweet.

“Because nothing says ‘Huge event for the fans!’ better than making something that they've asked for in a long time and making them available in a limited window to pressure them into spending a ton of money on loot boxes for a chance at getting them,” wrote another. “Amazing. 10/10 company of the year.”

It’s possible dance emotes could return for a future seasonal Overwatch campaign, or even a second Anniversary event next year. (We’ve asked Blizzard for more information.) But if not, well, once the event ends on June 12 at least we’ll always have the memory of Mei doing the “Hare Hare Yukai” dance.