How Some Video Games Got Into the Holiday Spirit in 2018
By Stefanie Fogel
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Christmas is over, but the holiday spirit is still alive and well in a variety of video games. Here’s how some of them are celebrating the season.
‘Red Dead Online’
Developer Rockstar Games recently snuck some subtle holiday cheer into its Western-themed multiplayer title “.” Throughout the Wild West, saloon piano players are serenading customers with classic Christmas tunes like “Deck the Halls” and “Silent Night.” You can hear them all in the video clip above, courtesy of YouTuber Tony StrongStyle.
‘PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’
“PUBG” released its new snow-themed map, Vikendi, on PC just in time for the holidays. The 6×6 map features lovely snowfields, frozen lakes, and European-style cities. The snow is more than just pretty to look at, though. Both players and their vehicles leave tracks behind them, leaving themselves vulnerable to clever opponents hunting them down. Vikendi will launch on consoles in January.
‘Overwatch’
“’s” annual holiday event is called Winter Wonderland and it lasts for three weeks. Each year, developer Blizzard Entertainment releases new holiday cosmetics and game modes, and it gives one map a festive makeover. This year, the amusement park-themed map Blizzard World was decked out in twinkling lights and confectionery-inspired decor, but a bug that trapped players in the spawn room forced Blizzard to temporarily disable it.
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“Fortnite” ushered in its holiday event alongside its seventh season and its all-new Creative Mode. The update added some new wintry locations to the map, ziplines, an X-4 Stormwing Plane, and plenty of Christmas-themed cosmetic items. Epic released a great stop-motion trailer alongside the update as well, with “Fortnite” characters taking on an angry Santa and his not-so holly jolly Christmas minions.
‘Killing Floor 2’
Fans of the bloody first-person shooter “Killing Floor 2” get to celebrate the holidays with actor Gary Busey. He voices a new purchasable playable character called Badass Santa, along with the Trader in the new Santa’s Workshop map. “Killing Floor 2” players get the latter for free, and can hear the actor give helpful (and ominous) tips on weapons and gear between matches. They can also team up with Santa and help him reclaim his workshop from the Krampus or experience the horrors of holiday consumerism in the fan-favorite Shopping Spree map.
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“Destiny 2’s” annual holiday event is called The Dawning and this year it tasks Guardians with baking and delivering Christmas cookies. They can gather ingredients by defeating enemies and completing various activities throughout the game world (leading one to wonder what’s actually in those treats). Once they’ve gathered the necessary components, they can combine them into Gjallardoodles and Chocolate Ship Cookies and share them with others. In return, they can get some in-game items, gear, or a special heavy machinegun.
‘World of Tanks’
“’” Holiday Ops 2019 event focuses on “the frontline stories at a time where families, foes and everyone in-between often come together without prejudice,” said developer Wargaming. There are also some new decorations for players’ garages, including a fir tree, a sculpture, and external decorations. The decorations are divided into four categories: Christmas, New Year, Magic, and Lunar. There are also new female tank members to collect, bonus XP, and more.
