The Overwatch Summer Games event returns next week

It's summertime, which means it's time for the apparently annual Overwatch Summer Games. For those who remember, last year's Summer Games was the first Overwatch seasonal event—but it was tied thematically to the 2016 Rio Olympic games, and until now it was unclear if the event would be returning to the Overwatch universe this year.

Consider the air cleared. The Overwatch Summer Games will return from August 8 through 29, bringing with it new skins and cosmetics, as is expected of Overwatch's seasonal events, as well as unlocking last year's Summer Games content for purchase again. New Summer Games skins will cost the standard amount of gold for event cosmetics (3000 gold for a legendary skin), while last year's skins will cost a third of that.

In the developer update above, game director Jeff Kaplan teased that Junkrat will be getting a legendary skin, and that Mercy, McCree, and Widowmaker will be getting skins as well (though he didn't specify if they'll be legendary).

In addition to the new skins and cosmetics, the Overwatch Summer Games means the return of Lúcioball, the awesome Rocket League-style soccer mode. The game mode has a few tweaks from last year, primarily that booping enemies has been disabled, as well as a change to Lúcio's ult. Last year's Rio stadium is returning, alongside a new stadium located in Sydney, Australia. Kaplan also mentioned that there will be a competitive mode for Lúcioball, complete with placement matches and rewards for placing in the top 500.

As the former head of PC Gamer's hardware coverage, Bo was in charge of helping readers better understand and use PC hardware. He also headed up the buying guides, picking the best peripherals and components to spend your hard-earned money on. He can usually be found playing Overwatch, Apex Legends, or more likely, with his cats. He is now IGN's resident tech editor and PC hardware expert.