Overwatch 2and G.I. Joe have a lot in common. Both IPs are about groups of heroes banding together to fight for good. Both feature diverse, larger-than-life characters with different strengths and weaknesses. It’s no surprise that these similarities are being explored inOverwatch 2’s latest collab, bringingfive brand-new G.I. Joe skinsinto the game.
Game Rant caught up withOverwatch 2’s art director Dion Rogers to find out how the collaboration was brought to life. He opened up on some of the challenges the team faced when creating the character skins. He also talked about making sure the skins were cool enough that even non-G.I. Joe fans would like them.
Reaper
Cobra Commander
Rogers explained that the choice ofwhichOverwatch 2characterwould become which G.I. Joe character was an easy one. That being said, any collaboration comes with a degree of challenge for his team. In this case, capturing the retro vibes associated with the G.I. Joe universe was the biggest obstacle Blizzard had to overcome, with Rogers stating:
‘‘With any collaboration, there’s some layer of challenge. We like to imagine our heroes are doing some very good cosplay, right? They’re aware of the universe, and the characters have chosen to dress like them. So sure, G.I. Joe kind of has a retro feel to it. It was popularized in the 80s and beyond, obviously. But adapting the retro look, and adapting it toOverwatch 2, there was a bit of a challenge there.’’
Overwatch 2’s G.I. Joe Skins Should Appeal to Players of All Types
Whenever a crossover event happens witha game likeOverwatch 2orFortnite, it can sometimes be alienating for those players who are unfamiliar with the franchise that the game collaborates with. To combat this, Rogers and his team tried to make the skins as appealing as possible, so even those unfamiliar with G.I. Joe could appreciate them. He continued,
‘‘I think the skins are faithful to the G.I. Joe characters, while retaining enough elements of theOverwatchheroes. There’s probably an audience that is not as familiar with G.I. Joe. Thankfully, I do think we made the skins cool enough that they work either way. That was one of the goals. Like we wanted to speak to the fans that are into G.I. Joe of course, but we also needed to make the skins as cool as possible, so that for anyone that may not be as familiar with G.I. Joe, they just see a dope skin they can apply to their favorite hero. With any collab, we try to balance these things.’’
Ensuring the skins appeal to both fans and non-fans of the crossover franchise is the best possible solution for Blizzard. Indeed, it’s the same mantra the developer has adopted throughout all ofOverwatch 2’s previous collaborations, and this thoughtful approach has resulted in some ofOverwatch 2’s best skinsbeing released.
