Overwatch’s first-ever pride event has just launched in Poland and Romania, following a backlash from queer players in those countries. Pride features should appear when the game resets, giving Polish and Romanian players access to LGBTQ-themed profile pictures and banners, and of course, the Midtown map’s Pride Parade makeover.
There’s no mention of the event coming to multiple regions, though, so it looks like some parts of Europe won’t be getting Pride features at all. Players in Hungary and Lithuania still don’t seem to be able to celebrate Pride on Overwatch, and there’s no word on whether the event will expand to any other countries before the celebration wraps up in July.
“We’re excited to roll out all the new Pride cosmetics and the Midtown update to players in Poland and Romania,” says Overwatch 2 Director Aaron Keller. “Thanks to these players for their patience and feedback.”
Since this statement does not mention Hungary and Lithuania, many take this as confirmation that Pride is skipping those countries entirely. However, the text also suggests that this won’t be the last time LGBTQ+ content is added to the game, as Keller says, “We’ll continue to work on expanding representation both in OW2 and beyond.” With that in mind, Blizzard could bring similar content to other countries in the future.
Either way, many fans in Poland and Romania were relieved to hear the news, fearing they would be locked out of the festivities for good. For queer actors, this was particularly painful, as they felt they were being punished for homophobia in their own country, which only added 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 decided not to release the Pride update in those countries. Both have similar laws to Russia’s ban on “gay propaganda.” This prohibits minors from accessing any material that “encourages” non-heterosexual relationships. Given that Overwatch is rated 12+ in Europe, it’s likely that a Pride event would be considered a violation of this law, as the game would be region-restricted or outright banned.
However, Blizzard hasn’t been very transparent about this process, so we don’t know if they even tried to launch Pride cosmetics in these countries. Some instead assume that this is done to avoid offending homophobic fans in Hungary and Lithuania and to protect Blizzard’s financial interests. Currently, Blizzard has only said that it is blocking Pride content in some countries to “protect” its players. But as some pointed out, they already face discrimination and not being able to participate in virtual Pride only adds to the pain.
Blizzard has yet to comment on individual Pride bans.