If you are an avid gamer of Blizzard’s Overwatch, then you would know that the 1st anniversary of the game is set to happen with a 23 May event in place. What better way to celebrate the first anniversary of anything, than through a brand new event? Gamers love these kinds of things, and while Blizzard had remained mum on what exactly will be part of the Overwatch Anniversary event, it should not be too difficult to guess what is in store. After all, if history were to be a precedent of what is to come, then Overwatch’s past events have thrown into the mix special game modes, reskinned maps as well as a generous number of cosmetic items that players are able to pick up along the way through the event. During an event that was held in New York City, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan did mention that Blizzard has ramped up its plans to release additional details on the 1st anniversary event over the course of the coming week. The Anniversary event is set to run all the way from May 23 until June 12.

Do take note that Overwatch’s 1st anniversary event will be for a limited time only. In fact, Blizzard has additional surprises in store, and will hold yet another free weekend for Overwatch from throughout the anniversary event, and this free weekend will run from May 26 to May 29. The game itself will be free to download throughout that time period, where you can enjoy in on three different platforms: the Sony PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Microsoft’s Xbox One.

Apart from that, Blizzard is bent on milking the Overwatch franchise for all that it is worth, including re-releasing the game in the form of Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition. This will include the base game itself in addition to a slew of digital extras. The Game of the Year digital release will comprise of the content that was available to those who pre-ordered the game in the past.

Accompanying goodies with Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition include 10 bonus Loot Boxes. Each of these bonus Loot Boxes will carry random items, and depending on what you get, they could be utilized to customize the appearance of your heroes as well as add an additional layer of personalization them. Loot Boxes would comprise of fun stuff like Skins, Emotes, Victory Poses, Voice Lines, Sprays, and Highlight Intros, although there might be times when you end up with Credits which will let you acquire an even wider range of customization options.

Apart from that, you can enjoy a blast from the relatively new past, with the inclusion of Hero Skins by wearing the vintage Blackwatch Reyes or Strike-Commander Morrison skins. Not only that, how about opting to explore other heroes’ origins via Overgrown Bastion, Security Chief Pharah, and Slipstream Tracer?

Of course, there has been a fair bit of buzz on the Overwatch forums as well as replies to the Twitter confirmation of the Overwatch May 23 event. Most of these are peppered by animated GIFs that showcase the excitement of the masses, and to see Overwatch pick up such a level of following within one year is definitely something to be proud of. Just how long will Blizzard’s Overwatch be able to last in gaming folklore remains to be seen, but the day will still come when something new is released and Overwatch begins its slow but sure slide to obscurity like other Blizzard classics such as World of Warcraft. In the mean time, why not enjoy the Overwatch May 23 Anniversary Event promotional video above?