Overwatch 2 has partnered with the world-famous One Punch Man anime to bring a set of collectible cosmetics to the game for a limited time only from March 7th to April 6th! Associate Director Amy Dennett and Art Director Dion Rogers Share Their Thoughts Ahead of Their Groundbreaking Collaboration, a First for Overwatch 2, and a Path to the Game’s Other Exciting Potential IP Crossovers in the Future Open The team is thrilled to reveal his Genos – Genji skin from our collaboration here today on the PlayStation Blog for the first time.
What led to the idea to bring One Punch Man specifically into the world of Overwatch?
[Aimee Dennett, Associate Director, Overwatch 2] The Overwatch team is obsessed with anime! Just like our player base, it’s fun to think about the crossovers and similarities shared between characters from our favorite shows. It fit our minds very naturally when you think about it. Also, they are both bald. It doesn’t matter that the game director Aaron Keller is a big fan of his One-Punch Man.
Genos and Genji have a common tragic backstory, but can we debate whether these shared experiences made for the perfect crossover, and what other inspirations led to the characters of Genos and Genji?
[Aimee] The similarities in Genos and Genji’s backstories were certainly inspirational. I also liked the fact that both Genos have strong relationships with their mentors. In fact, given this relationship, there was an idea that Zenyatta would make a good Saitama (he’s bald too!), but Doomfist has always been the clear choice for us.
What aspects of Genos’ aesthetics and abilities were most important to capture in the world of Overwatch?
[Dion Rogers, Art Director, Overwatch 2] Genos was perfect for Genji. The two characters are cyborgs in nature and both have a very serious and intense demeanor. I wanted the player to be able to see that our character was essentially cosplaying his OPM hero. Genos’ spiky blonde hair was an interesting challenge. The closer I got to the style, the more I lost Genji in the process. Our Concept His artist took care to combine the main aesthetics of the two heroes without losing either character in the process.
What was the idea behind making a hybrid Genos and Genji crossover skin instead of trying to make an entirely one-for-one Genos skin?
[Aimee] Blizzard games have extremely detailed lore and universes, and Overwatch is no exception. From a canon perspective, Overwatch takes place on Earth. One-Punch Man is an anime that exists on earth, so even if you see the existence of One-Punch Man in the game, the feeling of immersion is incomplete. For our first large-scale collaboration, we wanted to be particularly thoughtful and sensitive about this piece, and we thought the approach of the hero ‘cosplaying’ the character would fit nicely. There’s also something fun about the idea of Kanon’s Genji being a fan of One Punch Man, especially seeing himself in Genos and cosplaying as that character.That said, the Overwatch he ran for Valentine’s Day Dating is like his simulator, exploring non-canonical opportunities in the future.
Are there any specific details about this crossover that you’d like One-Punch Man fans to know?
[Aimee] yes! Fans of One Punch Man are sure to find some fun Easter eggs. I’m especially excited to see the reaction to the game lobby during the event.
What was the most challenging aspect of creatively developing this crossover?
[Aimee] It’s probably no surprise that there are a lot of geeks working on Overwatch 2, and we all have our own slice of pop culture that we’re passionate about. It was very rewarding to see people who have always loved One Punch Man brainstorm about incorporating their favorite anime into their daily work. The reaction is also impressive enough! It’s like talking to our players about how we as a team share the same passion as them.
Can we expect more exciting Overwatch 2 x One Punch Man crossovers in the future?
[Aimee] Let’s see! This collaboration was a lot of fun to work with. We hope players enjoy it!
