Overwatch has officially announced when the 2021 archive event will take place in April, and while a new PvE mission might be questionable, we can certainly expect new skins.
Archives is unique among seasonal events, as it focuses on previous Overwatch missions with PvE-limited time modes such as Rebellion, Retaliation, and Storm Rise.
The festive festivities usually start in early April, and Overwatch has now announced that we will have access to the Archives in a timely manner.
Prepare to experience the past as you fight for the future.
The Overwatch archives are back from April 6th! pic.twitter.com/whwjyGL9T2
– Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) 4 April 2021
According to Overwatch’s tweet, Archives 2021 will be 6 – 27 April 2021. Along with the dates, the trailer included shots from previous years’ missions, so we could very well be a second consecutive year without any new PvE for the event.
While certainly disappointing, it makes sense for the Overwatch team to use their resources to make Overwatch 2 instead of a one-time mission that will only be in the game for a few weeks.
This is not to say that Jeff and the team are not just holding us out until the last minute, which they did before. Still, we wouldn’t be spending money on a new archive-based mission if Archives were started (especially with so much developer attention shifting to Overwatch 2 ’s PvE content.
Despite that, there will surely be some new skins and other cosmetics that players can collect, as with every other event.
A brand new PvE mission could be wishful thinking this year.
Exactly which heroes are going to get skins is unknown at this stage. But the new games are regularly teased on social media before events begin, so keep an eye out until April 6th.
We haven’t seen a new PvE challenge since Storm Rising in 2019, and if it doesn’t happen this year, we may have to wait until Overwatch 2 appears (which will hopefully be before Archives 2022).
New PvE mission or not, we’ll have the latest updates on new skins as soon as it’s announced, and more information on Archives 2021 as it launches this week