Overwatch getting China-exclusive skins and crossovers isn’t new thanks to the deal Blizzard struck with NetEase to publish the hero shooter in the territory after a brief separation in 2022, but the longer it’s gone on, the harder it’s gotten to watch just how hard these skins and cosmetics go. The latest line of China-only cosmetics, the Defiled Anthem skins for Shion, Kiriko, D.Mon, Reaper, and Emre, include some of the coolest looks and special effects yet for those heroes, and for now, if you’re playing the game anywhere else, all you can do is look at them like a scorned stepchild.
The Shion skin is the one that hurts the most, as it’s one of the China-exclusive Evolution-rarity skins, meaning it changes its appearance throughout a match. A Widowmaker skin started this trend earlier this year, then Jetpack Cat got one in August that changed her fur and costume color. Now Shion is getting a shapeshifting, China-exclusive look as well.
It also, like Mythic skins and the new (and expensive) Ultra skins, has special effects when Shion lands a kill, as well as ones that are passively added to her abilities, like making her motorcycle leave a fiery streak behind her as she rides around.
The other heroes may not be getting an Evolution skin, but there are also exclusive highlight intros and emotes that, as far as we know, aren’t coming to other territories. Even if you don’t play these characters, the fact that China keeps getting exclusive content is worth being upset over.
I wouldnt be so mad about China exclusive stuff if it wouldnt constantly be the best skins, emotes and intros in the game
That Shion skin is better than any Mythic or Ultra skin we have… pic.twitter.com/BYCA5xTjjx
— Nix ~🎃~ (@NixLupus31) October 5, 2026
her best highlight intro being china exclusive like ok. what ever. i dont even care anymore. pic.twitter.com/15Jmf1EHgw
— val 🫀 (@eipoog) October 5, 2026
Like you actually have to be kidding me https://t.co/VFKKxZRyyz pic.twitter.com/NMxESWEF2e
— nikki. (@shionsdearest) October 5, 2026
bro what kind of drugs are they giving the designers at netease for them to be mogging the american designers so badly https://t.co/LctyoaoHnC
— ˚.⋆꒰১ harp ໒꒱⋆.˚ (@harpystrings) October 5, 2026
o que a china recebe vs o que o resto do mundo recebe pic.twitter.com/enncRdfPtI
— akeminha (@akemi__2) October 3, 2026
genuinely beginning to hate overwatch. china gets this and we get the worst skins ever made @PlayOverwatch https://t.co/bph5aSlMAE
— 🐾 (@pawemre) October 5, 2026
I am sorry but this is INSANE gap in quality! Global #Overwatch players do not deserve this kind of treatment. pic.twitter.com/Z3xmCal9nt
— 🌘SkaVorah🌒 (@SkaVorah) October 5, 2026
The exclusivity is one side of the issue, but fans are also upset given what some believe to be a decline in skin quality in the main game, only for some of the best-looking stuff to be region-locked to China.
“I still don’t know how people defend Blizzard for this,” a fan writes on Reddit. “We all know NetEase makes these skins and owns cosmetics in China, that has no correlation to how dog shit Blizzard-made cosmetics are. They really need to put effort into their skins. It’s getting so tiring, like really? A $40 ultra skin with a base mech and glitched kill effect and a mythic skin with zero customizations?”
Walter Kong, head of development for Blizzard’s live games and mobile division, has said that these exclusive events are part of its agreement with NetEase, and despite pushback from fans against what has felt like preferable treatment toward Chinese players, Blizzard will continue letting the publisher offer exclusives in that region.
“I think NetEase has the responsibility of publishing our game in China, and part of their approach is to do things that are specific to that market,” Kong said in May. “And the approach that we want to take is to make sure that our game makes players feel cared for, no matter the market…as we look forward to future events and activations, we have a very specific view that ‘Is this just the right way to run the event?’ and from the perspective of holistically, ‘How do things balance out?”
Overwatch’s story-driven reboot that began earlier this year is still ongoing. Season five is set to begin tomorrow, October 6, with the addition of new hero Doctrine.
