Free-to-play games have changed so much since Overwatch launched in 2016 that the sequel not only has to adapt to going free but also has to navigate the modern world to find its place if it hopes to earn back its cultural cachet. A big part of gaming that’s changed in the last six years is in how developers approach cosmetics – it’s all about crossovers, baby. Fortnite’s got Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Uncharted, and is even rumoured to be roping in Doctor Who, while PUBG has joined in on the fun with Spider-Man and NieR. The biggest free-to-play games are all about IP – just look at MultiVersus – but Overwatch never needed that and still doesn’t, and earning back its presence doesn’t mean copying the new kids on the block.
My fondest memories of events aren’t Fortnite dangling shiny keys in front of me with playable Thanos or Galactus wreaking havoc on the island, but Overwatch’s smaller-scale, unique seasonal celebrations. Halloween is my favourite holiday and Overwatch only added to that with werewolf Winston, Jack o’ Lantern Reaper, and witch Mercy. There’s a limited time to scramble for these cosmetics that all fall under one themed umbrella, giving each season some memorable cohesion. I can’t think back on the individual chapters, seasons, and years of Fortnite, as each Battle Pass has become a box of random action figures. But, I fondly remember fighting undead robots, seeing a young Soldier 76 for the first time, and rushing to unlock Santa Torbjörn.
Fortnite used to have that sense of style and visual identity, but it was lost after each and every crossover proved more popular than the last. Its earlier skins were Epic through and through, with its own designs like a lowly knight and glowing huntress kicking off the battle pass, but now you’ll find the Mandalorian front and centre. Overwatch 2 is off to a good start, however, with a completely unique battle pass full of its own cosmetics and brand-new legendary skins for heroes that are all about them.
There’s already talk of wanting to cash in on the IP hype, and that train of thought could easily lead to Overwatch muddying its personality. Its VP called Fortnite’s collabs “awesome,” but looking up to the number one isn’t the right move. It’s become gaming’s toybox, and others like Fall Guys and the aforementioned PUBG have been playing a big game of catch-up to try and reach similar heights, but they won’t. They can’t. Fortnite is on top and that goes above and beyond skins. It hosts concerts, has tie-in comics directly with Marvel, and advertises the newest games and even movies. It brought PlayStation and Xbox-exclusive characters into the fold. Chasing that level of success in mish-mashing IPs is asking for failure.
Overwatch 2 needs to stick with what it’s good at and that’s its own ideas. It has comics and they’re all about existing characters, its own world and lore, and it has new skins that boil down to these heroes doing what we do during festive seasons – dressing up in themed attire. There’s no need for Darth Vader Reaper or a Planet of the Apes Winston when Blizzard has continued to make its own striking designs that are just as popular. There’s a scramble when events start that has people grinding out loot boxes for a chance to get one of the new skins, even though they aren’t tied to any existing IPs, and I’ve no doubt that will continue in Overwatch 2 even without loot boxes.
Right now, it’s a literal “if and when we do that” situation. Even Warzone, another Activision Blizzard game, sticks its war-grizzled operators in cosplay for big crossovers. If Overwatch joins in, it’ll be hard to deny that this trend is the new norm – it’s not about what artists can design or think of, it’s about the biggest brand deals, and at that point, it all becomes cold and corporate. But maybe the “if and when” won’t stick and Overwatch will keep chugging along like Apex Legends, making its own designs that outrank most others from elsewhere.
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