Overwatch’s first-ever pride event has just launched in Poland and Romania, following backlash from queer players in these countries. The Pride features should appear once the game has been reset, letting Polish and Romanian players access the LGBTQ-themed profile pictures and profile banners, and of course, the Pride parade makeover of the map Midtown.
There’s no mention of the event coming to over regions, however, so it seems that some parts of Europe won’t be getting the Pride features at all. Players in Hungary and Lithuania still can’t seem to celebrate Pride on Overwatch, and there’s no word on whether the event will be extended to any other countries before the festivities wrap up in July.
“We are excited to expand all of the new Pride cosmetics and Midtown update to players in Poland and Romania,” says Overwatch 2 director, Aaron Keller. “Thank you to those players for their patience and feedback.”
Since this statement doesn’t make any mention of Hungary and Lithuania, many are taking this as confirmation that Pride is skipping these countries entirely. Yet the wording also suggests that this won’t be the last time LGBTQ+ content is added to the game, as Keller also says, “We’ll continue working to expand representation both in and out of OW2.” With this in mind, Blizzard could bring similar content to other countries in the future.
In any case, many fans in Poland and Romania are relieved to hear this news, as they had feared they would be locked out of the festivities for good. For queer players, this was particularly hurtful, as they felt they were being punished for the homophobia in their country, only adding to the rejection they already felt.
While this will be incredibly disappointing for fans in Hungary and Lithuania, it’s easy to see why Blizzard reached the decision to not release the Pride update in these countries. Both have laws similar to Russia’s ban on “gay propaganda”. This bans any material that “promotes” non-heterosexual relationships from being accessed by minors. Considering that Overwatch is rated 12+ in Europe, it’s likely that a Pride event would be seen as a breach of this law, seeing the game either restricted in the region or banned outright.
However, Blizzard hasn’t been very transparent throughout this process, so we don’t know if it even tried to launch Pride cosmetics in these countries. Some instead assume it’s being done to not offend homophobic fans in Hungary and Lithuania, and therefore protect Blizzard’s financial interests. Right now, Blizzard has only said that it’s blocking Pride content in some countries to “protect” its players. But as some have highlighted, they’re already facing discrimination, and not being able to participate in virtual Pride is only adding to the hurt.
Blizzard is yet to comment on individual Pride bans.