The video game Overwatch 2, developed by Blizzard Entertainment, has been a part of a number of partnerships with other intellectual properties (IPs) since its release in 2023. These partnerships include Transformers and Street Fighter 6. The most recent collaboration will be the impending crossover with the long-running G.I. Joe franchise, which will see skins based on characters like as Snake Eyes and Scarlett finding their way into the game. This will be the most recent collaboration.
For a more in-depth discussion on the crossover between Overwatch 2 and G.I. Joe, Game Rant sat down with the game’s art director, Dion Rogers, as well as the assistant director of product management, Aimee Dennett. The conversation centered on the initial conception of the crossover, as well as the ease with which the entire procedure was organized. Moreover, they provided information regarding a few of the skins. This interview has been altered to make it more concise and for clarity’s sake.
What Was the Inspiration Behind the Overwatch 2 and G.I. Joe Collaboration?
Q: What prompted the G.I. Joe collaboration, and how did it happen?
AD: Dion and his crew drove this. As a G.I. Joe aficionado, Deon and his team had skin ideas. We worked with Hasbro before and communicated with them, who were also enthusiastic. The rest is history.
DR: I and several team members are Joe fans. Many of us grew up watching cartoons and buying action figures. Some of our people’s childhoods revolve around it. Working with something you grew up liking and collaborating with them is nice. I love this project.
Q: How were Overwatch 2 characters representing G.I. Joe chosen?
Aimee received a PDF, and that was all!
AD: Internal collaboration might be lengthy. Weeks and many ideas are needed. However, this was definitely our fastest! Dion literally sent me a PDF. Then we thought, obvious. Let’s go!
DR: G.I. Joe and Overwatch have similarities. Fun, colorful people with competing views and fantastic weaponry! Overwatch weapons are cool. The cheerful Overwatch attitude and two worlds’ attention and overlap are significant. G.I. Joe always has a moral, so they fit perfectly.
Turning G.I. Joe Retro for Overwatch 2
Q: Did you struggle to match G.I. Joe’s designs to Overwatch 2’s art style and tone? Were there conflicts?
Any collaboration has challenges. We like to imagine our heroes cosplaying well, right? They know the universe, thus the characters dress like them. Yes, G.I. Joe is retro. Clearly popularized in the 80s and beyond. However, transferring the old appearance to Overwatch 2 was difficult. Scarlett, Freja, is one of our newest heroes. Scarlett doesn’t wear a cape in G.I. Joe.
Hasbro’s great document about all their characters and heroes helped us gain the important features and iconic parts we required for the hero. When we told them about Freja, we said the cape is important to her silhouette and cannot be removed. However, we decided to give her skin because she looks great with red hair and matches Scarlett’s crossbow. So we compromised. The cape is shorter than Freja’s basic cape. We incorporated many Hasbro components to make the cape more Scarlett-like. She was a difficulty.
As Snake Eyes, Genji was another. Snake Eyes is human, but Genji is mostly cybernetic. Snake Eyes’ human underneath this fantastic outfit is one of its best features. This skin is perhaps where Genji loses his most cybernetic traits to become Snake Eyes’ coolest. We kept his bionic arms and other game elements. This one is intriguing because he’s lost a lot of base skin cyborg components.
How Hasbro Affected Skins
What creative input did Hasbro have on the skins and cosmetics? Were you given some freedom, or did they have more say?
AD: Iterative. We would design initially. This looks good. Try changing this skill. However, neither is prescriptive. The iterative process is lovely and easy.
Our past relationship with them benefited. I mentioned it before, but they have a great franchise document that’s very helpful. They cover applying the G.I. Joe universe to other things.
Managing Overwatch and G.I. Joe Fan Expectations
Q: How long did this crossover take from concept to completion?
AD: It’s been planned for nine months. It was easy because we’d worked with Hasbro before. We didn’t have growing pains over who to talk to for this or that. Oh, we get to work with you again! It was more like a family reunion.
Q: G.I. Joe fans are usually passionate. How have you balanced Overwatch with G.I. Joe fan expectations?
DR: I like how the skins match G.I. Joe while incorporating Overwatch heroes. Perhaps some viewers are unfamiliar with G.I. Joe. I think we made the skins cool enough to function either way. That was a target. We wanted to talk to G.I. Joe enthusiasts, but we also needed to make the skins cool so non-fans could apply them on their favorite hero. We aim to balance this in any collaboration. We naturally preserve the Overwatch aesthetic as the Overwatch team works with our characters so often.
Easter Eggs in Overwatch 2
Q: Are there any hidden Easter eggs for G.I. Joe fans?
DR: Yes! Does a cooperation succeed if dedicated G.I. Joe fans see the Easter eggs and get excited? Since we strived to include that, that’s when we know we did well. One spray is called Cold Slither, which is Cobra Commander’s band in G.I. Joe.
AD: We prefer to include subtle references and stuff like that to keep it accessible, so if you don’t know it, you can still find it cool, but crossover enthusiasts should still enjoy them.
Doomfist’s gauntlet contains the MARS logo. The military outfit he controls makes all COBRA weaponry and gear. Nowadays, fans go crazy about that. They adore Easter eggs!
AD: Our voice lines are also enjoyable. Specially for Reaper!
Q: Were there any G.I. Joe characters or concepts you wanted to incorporate but couldn’t?
DR: Fortunately not. I gave Amy my suggestions, and we moved for that. I wouldn’t put Baroness on anybody else. I wouldn’t give Snake Eyes to others. These characters fit the theme perfectly. Reapers are good commanders, right? These are some of my favorite G.I. Joe heroes. This one was fast.
Q: What were you most thrilled for players to acquire with this crossover?
These skins have fantastic weapons, in my opinion. I prefer Snake Eyes weaponry like Genji’s sword, which looks bad*ss. I think players will be pleased to see those in the game.
DR: G.I. Joe weapons are realistic, so we added imagination. The Cobra ones are fun because Cobra brands all his weapons and vehicles. Widowmaker’s sniper gun is there. The Cobra branding makes it cool. The scope has Cobra insignia and modeling. That’s one of this show’s humorous aspects, so this was great. He brands all this equipment in the cartoon—you know who he is! We did that with many Reaper shotguns, Widowmaker’s sniper rifle, and Doomfist’s Cobra-themed gauntlet.
