Overwatch 2 is again with one other anime crossover, and this time it is one that’s positive to be nostalgic for anime followers who grew up within the early 2000s: Gundam Wing.
For many who watched anime on Cartoon Community’s Toonami block again within the day, Gundam Wing was probably their first publicity to the sprawling mecha franchise. Regardless of middling scores and reception when it initially aired in Japan, the anime discovered new life in North America a number of years later because of its after-school time slot. The present, with its dramatic mech-on-mech motion and much more dramatic sci-fi melodrama, nearly single-handedly established a foothold for your entire Gundam universe within the West. Within the course of, it created a wholly new technology of Gundam followers anticipating extra, serving to to deliver extra Gundam reveals abroad and creating a brand new marketplace for the franchise’s fashionable Gunpla plastic mannequin kits.
Flash ahead to 2025, and Gundam Wing is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary in a lot of methods, amongst them crossing over with Blizzard’s free-to-play shooter with 4 premium skins that pay homage to a number of the present’s hottest Cell Go well with designs. Mercy takes on the starring function as Gundam Wing Zero, whereas Soldier: 76 transforms into the enduring Tallgeese piloted within the present by the masked Zechs Merquise. Ramattra, in the meantime, transforms into the fearsome Gundam Epyon. And, in fact, Overwatch’s designated edgelord himself, Reaper, adopts the mantle of none aside from Gundam Deathscythe.
GameSpot had the possibility to speak with Overwatch 2 artwork director Dion Rogers and affiliate director of product administration Aimee Dennett on how the crossover got here to be, what it was prefer to work with Bandai, different Gundam Wing characters did not make the minimize, and the function Gunpla mannequin kits performed in each the collection of which Cell Fits to function and within the precise look of the skins themselves.
Blizzard mentioned it has lengthy needed to collaborate with Gundam, because it’s one of many most-requested IPs among the many workers. When it reached out to IP-holder Bandai a few potential crossover, the items started to fall into place for Gundam Wing’s thirtieth anniversary.
Among the many first choices Blizzard needed to make was which model of the Gundam Wing’s varied Cell Go well with designs it needed to make use of: these from the present, or ones from its sequel film, Gundam Wing: Infinite Waltz. Blizzard opted for the latter, although it wasn’t a straightforward resolution.
“There was a giant debate round can we use the Gundam Wing present designs, or can we use the Infinite Waltz movie designs?” Dennett mentioned. “In order that sort of doubled the quantity of prospects. We did quite a lot of the characters in each the movie design and the present design. We needed to choose one or the opposite. We did not need to do a mixture, so we ended up liking the gathering of the movie.”
When deciding on which Overwatch characters would get skins, Rogers mentioned it got here right down to a lot of components. At the beginning, the workforce narrowed down which characters would appear like a robust match or ones who would appear odd to not embody. The workforce then checked out components like whether or not or not a selected character hadn’t obtained a pores and skin shortly or which of them may shock gamers to make use of. Some mixtures had been apparent for thematic causes, like Reaper and Deathscythe, or for visible causes, like Wing Zero and Mercy on account of them each having wings.
Although Blizzard ultimately landed on the 4 Cell Fits and Overwatch heroes talked about above for the collaboration, there have been others that did not make the minimize. Rogers mentioned he actually needed to make one thing work for D.Va on account of her already being a mech pilot and the chance to have her cosplay as one of many present’s human characters, however that Blizzard could not fairly make it work.
Ana, for instance, was initially proposed for Tallgeese however did not come collectively. Gundam Heavyarms, a fan-favorite featured prominently within the present, was a shoe-in for the gatling-gun wielding Mauga that additionally did not pan out in the long run, with Zarya being one other potential candidate. Dennett mentioned Mauga’s Heavyarms weapon appeared “unbelievable,” however that general, the pores and skin simply did not look proper on the character.
“For Heavyarms, he was truly within the lineup,” Dennett mentioned. “We tried him on Mauga simply because their weaponry is so related. It is humorous, you at all times have in your head, ‘Oh, these are apparent mixtures,’ however when you see it on paper, it is not. Some do not look as nice and a few look completely wonderful. We by no means deliberate Tallgeese on Soldier: 76, however as soon as we noticed the design, it was the alternative of Mauga Heavyarms. We had been like, ‘Oh, that appears so cool.'”
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Deciding which Cell Fits to finally function as a part of the collab was its personal course of, one Blizzard mentioned was knowledgeable not solely by followers of Gundam Wing on the Overwatch workforce however with assist from Bandai. The corporate additionally collaborated with Blizzard on how every character ought to look.
Rogers mentioned Overwatch crossover skins at all times take the method of the sport’s heroes “cosplaying” as their favourite characters. Blizzard initially labored arduous on making every pores and skin seem extra Gundam and fewer Overwatch on account of participant suggestions from earlier collabs, whereas nonetheless making an attempt to keep up every hero’s distinctive and recognizable silhouette. Bandai got here again to Blizzard and as an alternative needed to see extra of every Overwatch hero, like Ramattra, within the designs.
“Bandai felt like they did not need us simply slapping Gundam Wing on prime of Overwatch,” Rogers mentioned. “They needed to essentially really feel tremendous collaborative they usually actually leaned in on that concept that our characters are nonetheless there, however their IP.”
Bandai additionally had chilly, arduous knowledge to assist inform which Cell Fits may be finest to incorporate for the collab–specifically, knowledge associated to Gunpla mannequin equipment gross sales. A Bandai artist who does art work for Gunpla kits even contributed the collab’s in-game foyer art work.
“They did not mandate we do something,” Dennett mentioned. “It was all options, however they did share a rating of Gunpla gross sales and that did issue into the equation…That is to not say Gunpla gross sales had been the issue, but it surely undoubtedly helped us inform which had been a reasonably apparent alternative and which of them weren’t.”
Gunpla performed a task within the creation of the particular skins, too. Rogers mentioned the workforce examined the precise Gunpla fashions for every Cell Go well with and appeared to imitate their inner construction of their respective pores and skin.
“On the precise fashions in-game, we tried to match fairly intently the skeletal work, inside purpose, the interior construction of the Gunpla, onto the precise hero,” Rogers mentioned. “Clearly they’re human, so you are able to do solely a lot, but it surely’s fairly genuine.”
Overwatch 2’s Gundam Wing collab goes dwell April 29, with its 4 Cell Go well with-inspired skins becoming a member of the in-game store alongside free Gundam-themed problem rewards, together with distinctive Pachimari weapon attraction. Bundles for every pores and skin (and corresponding objects like sprays and Play of the Recreation animations) will value 2,800 Overwatch Cash, with a mega bundle containing every part going for five,900 cash.