Overwatch 2 introduced a variety of new features that expanded upon the original game, including game modes, heroes, and another tier of cosmetic: Mythic skins.
Mythic skins are new Overwatch 2 skins that include a variety of individual customization options within the cosmetic. Though certain aspects remain the same, players can customize the hero’s appearance far more than with a skin of any other tier. However, fresh criticism over the latest Mythic skins has led fans and even the game’s developers to look back on the very first Mythic skin, Cyber Demon Genji, and decide the bar was set too high.
“Do I think we came out of the gate a little bit hard? Yeah,” Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss said in an interview with SVB on his podcast on Monday afternoon. Before the OW2 dev’s response, SVB had asked about different levels of customization within the game’s eight Mythic skins, as the options for each hero have varied significantly. Most recently, fans have been disappointed with the lack of options for Mythic Grand Beast Orisa, which was released as the final tier of the season eight battle pass.
Fans were also quick to point out Orisa’s Mythic tier skin looks similar to Overwatch skins she already has, and compared to earlier Mythics like Cyber Demon Genji and Amaterasu Kiriko, it is severely lacking in several departments.
Neuss responded to SVB’s question by not only admitting the team came out of the gate a bit too hard with Cyber Demon Genji, but also that the more recent development of Mythic skins has been a relatively lengthy process. He said the dev team hadn’t gotten enough feedback about how players responded to various Mythic skins to know which of the ones in development the fanbase would like or dislike.
Neuss also suggested some Mythic skins are designed to shine in different ways, like their detailed and varied customizations, or their VFX and voice lines. He cited Hanzo’s Mythic skin, Onryo Hanzo, as an example. The team has tried going a few different directions with the Mythic skins, but the ones that have seemed to stick with players are the ones that can be customized the most.
Either way, the admittance Cyber Demon Genji set the bar too high is worrying for fans, who generally all seem to agree that skin was one of the best Mythics. Only time will tell what direction Blizzard decides to take these new Mythic skins next.
