Overwatch 2's 'brand new approach' to collaboration explained by exec producer
Overwatch 2 has taken a ‘brand new approach to collaboration’ compared to other games, according to its executive producer.
In an exclusive interview with Mirror Gaming, Jared Neuss, executive producer of Overwatch 2 explained why the development team decided to pursue collaborations differently from other titles in the space, and why the One Punch Man collaboration might be the first of many.
When first seeing the Overwatch 2 x One Punch Man collaboration, it was super exciting to see something different being done instead of just inserting the characters from the anime franchise into the game, as has been done in Fortnite. The heroes in Overwatch instead wear costumes, with Doomfist wearing the classic One Punch Man outfit.
One of the core elements of Overwatch 2 is the roster of heroes available, with almost every single player, myself included, having a favourite – Sym mains unite.
Had Blizzard taken the same approach as Fortnite has done, and allowed you to entirely embody a new character, it would have removed that love that so many players have for their main heroes. Neuss stated that the intention behind the method of collaboration was to ensure that fans were still able to feel as if they were playing their favourite hero.
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“It's a cool approach that is just different, right? Like, I think it's super cool in some games to be able to, like, inhabit that character directly,” Said Neuss.
“But I think because we care so deeply about the heroes in our game, and we want you to always feel like you are playing the hero that you love as a player, going the route of making them sort of cosplay, instead of, like embodying that is I think the right thing for the game.
“And I'm glad that you like it, I think it feels great to me just to see the player response to it because it feels like that's really resonating with a lot of folks.”
When asked how big of a deal the collaboration was internally, Neuss was happy to clarify that it was indeed “a big deal”.
“There's a tonne of people on the team who love One Punch Man and who love anime in general, right? Like, we're all like nerds in our own ways.
“We all have our fandoms that we're super into and, you know, the team being able to bring a thing that they're super passionate about into the game. And then share that with players in a way that feels authentic to Overwatch is like a huge deal for people.
“But it's also a big deal because it's the first one of these that we've done in this way. It's a kind of brand new approach to collaboration and this idea that we have heroes is kind of like effectively cosplaying.”
As upset as I currently am with the current game state, with it being clear that Overwatch 2 developers are torn between catering to new or old players, it is nice to celebrate the victories that one of my favourite games of all time can achieve.
Blizzard and the Overwatch team have done an excellent job of putting together this collaboration in such a way that makes it stand out from other games. With Anime collaborations galore occurring such as Arena of Valor x Demon Slayer, Smite x Avatar: The Last Airbender or Fortnite x every anime to ever exist, this approach was a real breath of fresh air.
To round off, Neuss hinted at the possibility of future collaborations stating that he “would personally love to do more of these in the future”
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“Yeah, I think the approach that we take with everything is just to be not super excited about it, first we have to see how players feel about it. And so far, the response has been really positive.
“I think people are super into it. The way that we have to approach future collaborations is like, what do we think is the right thing for the game? Do we want to lean into like one specific avenue of fandom? Or do we want to go broad and try to hit as many people as we can with things that they love?
“And I think we're all very happy with the collaboration. We're excited about that direction. I don't have anything that I can share specifically. But I will say that it's been one of the things that the team has been the most excited about in recent months.
“The first time the team saw the trailer, they were hyped. The first time they saw the skins they were hyped, it's just, it's really exciting for all of us.”
With how impressive this first collaboration has been, and with the positive response from both the fanbase and the developers, it’s surely only a matter of time before the next one is announced.
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