Blizzard alters costumes of Overwatch’s Russian hero, Zarya

Alternate skins have repurposed monogram removed

Blizzard Entertainment has made alterations to several alternate skins belonging to Overwatch‘s Russian powerhouse, Aleksandra Zaryanova, better known to players by her call-sign, Zarya. The changes were quietly made in a stealth update to remove a monogram that has, unfortunately, taken on new meaning in the current climate.

First spotted by PC Gamer, Zarya’s “Arctic” and “Siberian Front” skins both feature a simple character “Z” emblazoned on the hero’s breast. Z for Zarya, obviously. However, as part of the horrifying Russian invasion of Ukraine, the letter “Z” has been repurposed by some in both Russian military and Russian society as a symbol of support for the invasion, painting the symbol on tanks and other military arsenals.

The letter “Z” does not exist as a character within the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, and it is speculated that it is being used by supporters of the Ukraine invasion as a symbol for victory, much like western countries have used “V” in past wars. Of course, Overwatch‘s Zarya simply sports the initial as a monogram to their name but, given its current context, it is a pertinent move by Blizzard to remove the letter from the Russian soldier’s clothing.

Zarya is not the first Overwatch character to be altered due to real-life controversy. In 2021, cowboy hero McCree had his name changed to Cassidy after his namesake left the company in the wake of the Californian Activision Blizzard lawsuit, filed after an investigation uncovered evidence of sexual abuse, harassment, and a generally toxic working environment at the studio. The aftermath of this initial controversy is still ongoing, almost 10 months from the filing of the initial suit.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. To date, tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel on both sides of the conflict are believed to have been injured or killed, while millions of Ukrainian civilians have been displaced from their homes.

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse