Overwatch 2 is celebrating Pride, but not everyone can join

pcgamesn.com:

Blizzard’s hit hero multiplayer game Overwatch 2 has taken its previous game’s community by storm since its initial 2022 release. From its bustling playerbase to its wide variety of personality-driven characters, it is no wonder that Overwatch 2 remains one of today’s most played games online. The team behind the iconic shooter has announced the game’s upcoming Pride event in celebration of the LGBT community, but it seems that some players will unfortunately be left out of the festivities.

Starting June 1, Overwatch 2 players will log onto their games and receive a variety of profile player icons and name cards celebrating various LGBT identities. Some will be styled after the game’s own queer heroes, with a lesbian card for Tracer, a gay card for Soldier: 76, a bisexual card for Baptiste, a lesbian card for Pharah, and a pansexual card for Lifeweaver. These Pride-specific cosmetics are not the only things to feature Baptiste and Pharah, as a brand new short story is set to be published regarding the two and their identities.

Fans have speculated the two heroes’ identities and sexualities for a while now, and this is Blizzard’s way of confirming players’ theories. The developers want to make Pride feel just as special in-game as it does in real life, with all of the celebration and none of the negativity. Sadly, however, even a fantasy world cannot avoid the bigotry present within in our own, it seems.

Senior game producer Brandy Stiles has stated that the Pride content will be “opt-in,” meaning that players can choose whether or not they want to openly celebrate. Players from certain regions where anti-LGBT laws are in place will not be able to opt-in at all, though. On the situation, Blizzard has said that it is their