'Overwatch' Anniversary Symmetra Skin: Jeff Kaplan Explains Why You Should Be Very, Very Hyped

One of the most exciting things about the upcoming Overwatch Anniversary event, as with most events, will be the new skins coming to our favorite characters. But one character in particular has been singled out for being the recipient of a particularly captivating new skin: Symmetra. As a Symmetra main, when the news of this new skin broke courtesy of Jeff Kaplan on the Overwatch forum I peed myself a little bit due to my excitement. I love, love, LOVE Symmetra. As someone who grew up playing all sorts of multiplayer FPS nonsense I’ve found her to be one of the most unique characters in any FPS ever. Known mostly as a defensive/support stalwart, Symmetra can also be devastating on assault (if you’ve ever watched Steveooo do his thing you know what I’m talking about). But her skins are a bit lacking (more on that below).

So, when I was invited to be part of Blizzard’s Overwatch Anniversary media event in NYC I had one thing on my mind: the new skin. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a preview during the presentation but we did get a chance to talk to Game Director Jeff Kaplan during a QnA. My hand shot up immediately. Knowing he couldn’t reveal anything specific about the fabled skin I went with something more vague. I asked him, on a scale of 1-to-10, how happy would Symmetra mains be with the new skin. His eyes lit up. He smiled a wide, knowing smile.

“On a scale of 1-to-10? Easily a ten,” he said, adding, “if not 11.”

Kaplan then told a quick story about the unveiling of the skin. He said that soon after Lead Character Concept Artist Arnold Tsang showed the skin to Blizzard team members in a meeting, they immediately left the room and made the image their desktop backgrounds “because it’s so cool.”

While we still don’t know what the skin is going to look like, it will likely be part of a set of skins coming in the Overwatch Anniversary update based on some datamining shared in this reddit post. Reaper, Tracer, Orisa and Sombra also seem to be in line to get some new skins, too.

But this is about Symmetra dammit! So, in honor of her “easily a ten” skin coming the Overwatch Anniversary event I’ve decided to share with you my personal picks for the top three skins currently available to Overwatch fans.

Symmetra Skin #1: Qipao Skin

Far and away my favorite Symmetra skin, the Qipao was only available during the Year of the Rooster Event in TK. Why do I like it so much? Because, to me, Symmetra is all about class. She’s a brilliant, cosmopolitan woman in a near-future full of advanced tech. She’s a lady. And this elegant red qipao, inlaid with delicate gold patterns, conveys the high-class vibe I feel is a big part of Symmetra as a character.

Symmetra Skin #2: Utopaea Skin

This skin combines the classy lassy look I like for Symmetra while delivering a nice side order of lore. Utopaea refers to a Vishkar city built using the “hard light” tech seen in Symmetra’s attacks and abilities. It’s easy to imagine the “Jewel of the Vishkar” as a bright, shining city if this is the kind of clothing people wear there. Or maybe the white and gold color scheme just reminds me of my favorite Power Ranger?

Symmetra Skin #3: Devi Skin

Symmetra’s legendary Devi skin came with a bit of controversy. A prominent Hindu leader called for removal of the skin last year, essentially saying it blasphemes the image of a Hindu deity. Blizzard apparently agrees to disagree with that assessment as the controversy came and went without the skin being pulled. Me personally? I just like the skulls.