Overwatch fans can enjoy the latest version of Summer Games starting tomorrow, and alongside the return of Lucio Ball, fans can expect some special cosmetics. Blizzard has revealed some of these already, including Mermaid Symmetra and Poolside Ashe. While these skins look great, and many will undoubtedly go out of their way to unlock them, some fan-made concepts would also be nice to see one day.
From D.Va to Soldier 76, the Overwatch community has been just as busy as Blizzard when it comes to designing skins for the game’s hero roster. While they are too late to make the cut this year, there is always a chance that some of them serve as an inspiration for 2022 skins. Further, a few fan designs look similar to outfits from this year’s event, ensuring that they would make some great variants if Blizzard ever took interest in adding them.
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Kicking off the list is an awesome skin concept for D.Va, as it sees the mech pilot enjoying some Roller Derby. Designed by Reddit user melody_rain, the skin sees Hana Song wearing a unique outfit. While it is unclear what the actual robot would look like, D. Va herself looks great, as she can be seen wearing some bright pink roller skates. Alongside some blue wheels and laces, bunny ears can be seen on the front of the skates, allowing them to mesh perfectly with the hero's logo.
Alongside some pink knee pads and high socks, some sporty black shorts can be seen. D. Va’s shirt also doubles as a jersey, leaving her waist exposed while showing the number 13 on her back. A pink exclamation point can be seen on her top, with D. Va wearing some black fishnets under her jersey. She also rocks some black face paint instead of her usual pink, with some blueish purple gloves completing this cool look. A neat detail also sees a green band-aid placed on D.Va’s thigh, hinting that the hero fell a few times. With D. Va being one of Overwatch’s most popular heroes, seeing her get some love in the next Summer Games would be nice.
While it may initially seem strange to see Soldier 76 in a bathing suit, the work done by Daniel_Say_Son makes it seem fitting. The skin sees the former Overwatch leader’s scarred body exposed, with the hair and eyepiece matching the one worn in Soldier’s Strike Commander Morrison skin. However, the greyed hair confirms that this is indeed the older Soldier, showing the character outside of his vigilante persona. He also wears Hanzo’s bathing suit as a placeholder, as the fan’s skin concept is still a work in progress. With Ugly Sweater: 76 being something that exists inside of Overwatch, maybe fans can see him in some swim trunks one day.
Of all the fan made Overwatch skins to feature in this lineup, this one is the least likely to make it into the game. This is because Ashe has received a remarkably similar skin in this year’s Summer Games event, with the new Poolside Ashe design sharing things like the squirt gun and straw hat. Still, GarrettTorres’ design is worthy of some appreciation, as it would make for a fun alternate version of Ashe and Bob’s swimwear.
While Ashe’s new skin takes on some pink hair, this fan-made Ashe concept sees the gunslinger with her traditional white locks. The hair is shorter, though, helping the outfit stand apart. She also goes all-in on the bathing suit, leaving behind the towel seen in her official skin. Smart details like a water balloon version of dynamite are also included, adding to the concept. Bob’s design is quite different from the official version, though both are equally funny. While Blizzard’s skin sees the flamingo floatie on Bob’s head, GarrettTorres includes a snorkel and umbrella. A duck floatie is seen on Bob’s waist, though, showing that great minds think alike. Some flippers round out the robot’s goofy appearance.
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It seems like Blizzard may have taken inspiration from SillyGooseRobyn’s Ice Cream Mei, as an official version of the skin is part of the Summer Games 2021 lineup. However, while the premise of Mei as an ice cream parlor employee is the same, there are some differences to be seen between the two skins. Mei’s outfit uses red as opposed to brown in the official version, for example, while her hair is blonde instead of her normal color.
Beyond the changes to the hair and outfit, though, the official and fan-made versions of Ice Cream Mei are nearly identical. Both see the hero in a cute hat, while Snowball has been remodeled as a flying piece of ice cream. Most impressively, the two weapons share a similar look, with Mei using an ice cream gun in the two designs. With the gun seen boasting some cones and other little touches, it seems like Mei will be firing something a lot more delicious than plain ice while wearing this outfit. With Overwatch featuring different color variants for certain skins, though, adding in SillyGooseRobyn’s version of Ice Cream Mei would still make sense. With this being one of the hero’s coolest looks, having two versions to choose from would hardly be a bad thing.
Rounding out the list is sunshxvine, the artist behind the incredible Lovebringer Mercy skin. While that outfit is hard to top, as it would surely be the fixture of a Valentine’s Day event in Overwatch, sunshxvine’s new Mercy skin is just as well made. The outfit depicts Dr. Ziegler as a Lifeguard, and she fits well in the role. Helping people lost at sea matches her character, after all, and sunshxvine does a terrific job bringing it to life.
While the tied shirt and lifeguard symbol are nice, the little touches on the Lifeguard Mercy skin help it to truly shine. Mercy’s colorful weapons look great, for example, while the paddle on her side adds to the Lifeguard look. The artist also shows Mercy holding a whistle, and if that was not enough, a bottle of sunscreen can be seen strapped to the hero’s leg. If Blizzard does not surprise gamers with an official Lifeguard Mercy skin this year, it would be a terrific outfit to include in Summer Games 2022.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.