Blizzard Entertainment is bringing together Overwatch 2 and Gundam Wing with a special crossover event. Starting April 29 at 11am PT. just one week after Season 16 begins players will get four new Gundam-themed skins. Mercy will become Wing Zero Reaper will wear Deathscythe Soldier: 76 will be Tallgeese and Ramattra will transform into Epyon.
Years In The Making A Passion Project Comes to Life
The Overwatch team didn’t just randomly choose Gundam they pursued it.
It was a goal to work with it because it has influenced so many artists on the team said Rogers. The giant robots fighting each other are so cool. It is a dream to finally work in a world that has inspired so many of us.
The team worked closely with Bandai to connect the crossover with Gundam Wing’s 30th anniversary, which worked out perfectly. We always wanted to do it. said Dennett. This was the perfect chance so everything came together.
Blending the unique shapes of Overwatch heroes with Gundam's mechanical style was more than just copying. Each piece of armor wing and glowing core had to fit both the story and the design.
Take Mercy for example. This is probably her first skin where you can’t see her face or any skin Rogers said. It’s tough for her to lose her wings the most iconic part of her look. So it was a fun challenge for the artist to create a new skin that’s like a robotic suit similar to Wing Zero.
Ramattra was a perfect match for Epyon. They both transform and have a robotic look Rogers said. We did a lot of sketching to keep the shapes of our heroes while making them as changeable as possible.
Selecting the Perfect Heroes for the Gundam Wing X Overwatch 2 Crossover
While Fans might guess about power levels or similarities in themes. but really the skin choices were based more on feeling and visual appeal than strict rules.
We tried a few different heroes at first Rogers said. We tested Mauga as Heavyarms and Tallgeese on Ana because they both have a similar sniper. But then someone tried Soldier as Tallgeese and when we saw them together everyone thought Wow Soldier looks so cool. It's funny there is no exact way this happens. Sometimes it's just trial and error.
It was a teamwork process. We make a lot of drawings the teams meet and sometimes we ask Hey mark the one you like with a star Rogers said. It's always a team effort. Not everyone knows every fandom so we make sure to talk to the team and let them help choose who should be included.
When two fandoms collide it creates high expectations and the team took that seriously.
We wanted to stay true to the original Dennett said. It's great that so many people on the team are fans of Gundam. so it's easy to make sure we are staying true to what fans want. In fact we had so many people wanting to be involved that there were plenty of ideas. There was never a moment where we wondered What should we do for this project? It was a really fun experience.
Each skin has small details that big Gundam fans will notice. For Reaper's Deathscythe skin they couldn't give him the weapon directly but his victory poses and play-of-the-game animations show a scythe with special effects.
Also for long-time Gunpla builders there's a special detail: the event's lobby art was created by one of the artists who draws the official Gundam model kit boxes.
Dennett said That was one of my favorite parts. I'm So excited to see how people react to it.
Success Defined by Fans Not Numbers
The Overwatch 2 x Gundam Wing collaboration brings together four detailed skins Easter egg-filled designs and a lot of fan appreciation. It's not just a visual update it's a mix of two popular cultures. For the team success is not just about sales or engagement but how much it connects with fans.
Dennett said The biggest test is whether we made Overwatch fans happy even those who don’t know much about Gundam and then seeing how the biggest Gundam fans react. That’s a good way to know if we did it right.
This crossover is all about Gundam Wing but the team said there might be more in the future if fans like it.
Dennett said There’s a lot to explore. I really like The Witch from Mercury and think it has some great matches.
For Ana players like me who are still hopeful she joked The Overwatch team would be mad at us if we didn’t do more.
Overwatch 2 players can try it out soon. as the collab starts on April 29.
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