Blizzard Announces the End of Overwatch MVP Skins

Activision-Blizzard Entertainment has announced that it will no longer be making unique Overwatch League MVP skins for individual players on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.

The reveal was included within the release of two skins celebrating the 2020 Grand Finals victory by the San Francisco Shock and that year's MVP, Shanghai Dragons' Byung-Sun “Fleta” Kim. Respectively, players now have access to the Midas Roadhog and Good vs Evil Echo cosmetics.

Blizzard detailed the reasoning behind what is now the last entry into the MVP series as a nod to Fleta's "versatility, which was his defining feature throughout a fantastic 2020 season with the Shanghai Dragons." However, it was the next sentence in that paragraph that threw fans for a loop.

Blizzard Announces the End of Overwatch MVP Skins

In a post on the official Overwatch League news site, Blizzard alerted players to the end of the MVP line, stating that the Fleta skin is "the last time a skin will be made for the Overwatch League MVP." They encouraged players to purchase it now—supposedly before it's gone.

The post then dives in to describe Midas Roadhog without further context to the end of MVP cosmetics.

While Blizzard did not reveal the reason behind its decision, many suspect it may be due to the allegations of sexual violence against previous MVP skin holder Jay "Sinatraa" Won.

Immediately following the accusations earlier this March, Blizzard announced they were removing his skin from the store and MVP collection, as well as offering League Token refunds to those who wanted them. The company wrote that it takes "any allegations of this nature very seriously and unequivocally support[s] victims of abuse."

"The League is offering a refund of 200 League Tokens for the 'Alien' Overwatch League skin to players who request one," it wrote, "The Overwatch League Championship and MVP badges will be removed from the 'Alien' skin in a future patch."

The skin was originally released after Sinatraa left the League to join the Valorant competitive scene—in which he has now been suspended from his team and future professional engagement.

It could be that Blizzard is attempting to cut its losses with the line and guard against any negative association in the future. However, DBLTAP cannot confirm nor deny the veracity of this claim at this time.