Overwatch 2’s Special Holiday Menu Screen Has a Strange Omission

The Winter Wonderland update for Overwatch 2 introduced a special holiday menu, but fans were quick to point out that someone’s missing from the art.

Highlights

  • Overwatch 2 players noticed Ashe’s absence from the holiday menu artwork, sparking speculation and confusion in the online community.
  • Some players speculate that Ashe’s removal may be related to the emphasis on Mercy’s new skin, which is more prominently featured in the cropped artwork.
  • Fans hope Blizzard will address the situation and provide an explanation for Ashe’s removal before the Winter Wonderland event ends.


Following the recent Winter Wonderland update, Overwatch 2 players noticed that Ashe is strangely absent from the game’s special holiday menu despite being depicted in the original holiday artwork by Blizzard. Ashe’s removal from the artwork caused many Overwatch 2 fans in the online Blizzard community to speculate about the sudden change.

Overwatch 2 Season 8: Call of the Hunt is well underway with the Winter Wonderland event, which began with a free update on December 19. The update introduced various buffs for Mauga, new holiday skins for select heroes, and a fix to Junkrat’s Concussion Mine. In addition, Overwatch 2 players could enjoy limited-time modes like Mei’s Snowball Offensive and Yeti Hunt, with unique challenges to complete for battle pass XP. Overwatch 2’s main menu was updated with holiday artwork to match the occasion, but players were quick to point out that Ashe was missing from the artwork this year.

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Overwatch 2 player CountyInevitable8533 and many other members of the community began to speculate about Ashe’s omission from the special holiday menu, since she was prominently depicted on the artwork alongside Mercy. Some users note that Ashe was displayed on the holiday menu for just one hour after the Overwatch 2 December 19 update was released, while others noticed that she was removed right after completing their first match for the day. Restarting the game after installing the update appears to remove the artwork that originally featured Ashe as well. The situation has spread confusion in the online Overwatch 2 community, since there’s a lack of explanation from Blizzard regarding the change to the artwork.

mercy, ashe, genji, hammond, and bob enjoying cookies and hot chocolate during overwatch christmas

A few Overwatch 2 players are also unhappy with the cropped artwork on the special holiday menu, since Genji’s character design is cut off. The cropping appears to focus on Mercy’s new Jingle Belle skin, causing some fans to speculate that Blizzard may have removed Ashe’s character design from the holiday menu to place more emphasis on the new Mercy skin.

The exact reason for Ashe’s removal from the holiday menu has not been revealed by Blizzard, and it seems unlikely that the company would provide an explanation over the holidays. However, Blizzard may want to consider addressing the situation with fans before Overwatch 2’s Winter Wonderland 2023 event ends on January 9, 2024. Ashe is one of Overwatch 2’s most popular characters, so fans will want to learn about Blizzard’s decision behind this artwork change sooner rather than later.

overwatch 2 poster

Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 is Blizzard’s free-to-play team-based first-person shooter. The title features some new heroes like Junker Queen and Sojourn, as well as returning favorites.

Franchise
Overwatch

Released
October 4, 2022

Genre(s)
Shooter