Seeing the likes of Naruto and Goku in Overwatch might not be as outlandish as it sounds, as Blizzard execs recently expressed interest in hosting Overwatch 2 collaborations in a style similar to what we see in other battle royale games, namely Fortnite.
Overwatch vice president John Spector made the comments in an exclusive interview with Game Informer’s Alex Van Aken, where he discussed alternate ideas the team is considering to help bring in revenue. In-game ads, such as what Meta and a handful of other companies experimented with earlier in 2022, came up as a possible option, as did the prospect of charging money for mythic skins. However, Spector said he wanted to try something that let the team and other players explore their interests.
“We’ve seen some really fun examples out there of games working with other brands or other games,” Spector told Game Informer. “I’m a big anime nerd myself. I think it’s super cool when I see Naruto appear in Fortnite. I don’t even play Fortnite, but that’s awesome. And as we look at the Overwatch 2 space, those are things that we’re interested in exploring. If and when we do that, one of our key values is to do it in a way that feels like a great fit for the Overwatch franchise.”
How that might work in Overwatch 2 didn’t come up, though it seems likely Blizzard would have to adopt a different kind of model. Where Fortnite has no established playable characters and opts for themed skins instead, such as Dragon Ball Z skins, Blizzard built Overwatch around its heroes, their backgrounds, and their unique playstyles.
While Blizzard could simply opt to add new heroes, similar to Genshin Impact’s one-off crossover with Horizon Zero Dawn, the depth and attention to detail that goes into each hero seems like it might be more effort than it’s worth.
Whatever the case, expect to see some kind of outside influences in the battle pass once the Overwatch 2 release date rolls around. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our Overwatch 2 tier list to pick the best Overwatch 2 heroes for you.