Overwatch 2 removes NYPD cop car on Midtown map for Pride event

Overwatch 2 players have noticed that Blizzard removed a police car from the Pride version of New York City’s Midtown map.

The first-ever Overwatch 2 Pride event has been a bit of a miss for fans with some calling it “underwhelming” while others are happy to just see Blizzard celebrate the LGBT community.

Part of the event includes redesigned versions of maps to feature bright Pride imagery with flags and crosswalks, but there is another interesting modification that fans have noticed.

On the second point on the standard Midtown map, there’s a New York Police Department car, but for the Pride event, it’s been replaced.

Overwatch 2 sparks debate by removing police car for Pride event

In a post going viral on Twitter, user ‘Hazelet’ pointed out the modification and celebrated the decision.

“They got rid of the NYPD Car in the Pride version of Midtown!” she gleefully exclaimed. “I love this so much!”

No cops at pride, based

— I am the Sombra that boops in the night🏳️‍🌈 (@Ery_Max) June 1, 2023

“No cops at pride, based,” remarked another user happy with the decision.

The discussion of cops at Pride events has long been a controversial topic with some events banning cops in order to “create safer spaces” for marginalized groups. However, some believe this action is discriminatory to police officers.

Users also pointed out that Overwatch 2 heroes being at a Pride event that doesn’t allow cops is a bit odd, because Overwatch as a team functions like a police force, similar to a group like The Avengers.

“They should also remove the group of supercops that call themselves Overwatch!” a fan mocked.

Others felt that the devs were making a political statement and threatened to boycott the game over it. One wrote: “Alright, I might actually quit Overwatch… If they purposefully did this as a defund the police-style thing, then I can’t support them.”

This is hardly the first controversy associated with the OW2 Pride event. Some fans have taken issue with the fact that it won’t be available in certain countries due to laws in place that prohibit LGBT content.