Overwatch players are counting down to the start of the Year of the Dog event on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
The Chinese New Year event has been given a February 8 release date by Blizzard. There’s no official start time, but Overwatch events typically go live between 6 and 7pm UK time.
In terms of an end date, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan confirmed that the Lunar New Year event would run for four weeks instead of the usual three. This means the Year of the Dog event should finish on March 8.
But what fans really want to see are the new skins, which should hopefully leak before the event goes live.
What we do know is that the Year of the Dog event will launch with six new Legendary skins. That’s on top of returning skins, which should be available at a cheaper price.
Kaplan confirmed that Mercy and Genji, which he joked were two of the least played heroes, would be getting new skins as part of the event.
The Overwatch director teased a “really cool highlight intro” for one of the characters, as well as more than 50 seasonal items to unlock.
You can see new and returning Year of the Dog skins in the gallery below…
The four week Lunar New Year event will also launch with a new Capture the Flag map set in Thailand.
In a new video blog, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan said that the Ayutthaya map is the best part of the Chinese New Year event.
“The biggest and best part of the Year of the Dog celebration, in my opinion, is a brand new map that we’ll be bringing you,” he explains.
“This map takes place in Thailand [and] is absolutely gorgeous. One side of the map is ancient and shows a temple that’s very, very gorgeous and the other side is bright and beautiful and very modern.”
Kaplan added that it’s the first map that’s been built specifically for Capture the Flag, which has also seen some rule changes.
The returning Capture the Rooster event will now feature a sudden death mechanic to prevent draws.
“If two teams are tied at the end of time, what will happen is, both teams’ flags are moved closer to the centre of the map, and then the map resumes at that point. The teams will go for the flag and then they only have a very short distance to cap.”
Elsewhere, Kaplan confirmed that picking up the flag will be instant and certain moves will be restricted.
Moves that give players invulnerbility or increased mobility will result in teams dropping the flag.
Blizzard will also introduce a new four week Competitive Season for Capture the Flag.
Getting into the top 500 unlocks a special spray and player icon, while anybody who places will also receive a spray.