Blizzard’s futuristic team shooter takes one step closer to becoming a full-on space opera thanks to the Overwatch 2 Cowboy Bebop crossover event. The classic neo-noir series is the second anime franchise to feature in the game, following 2023’s One Punch Man event.
Overwatch 2 and its predecessor have always included references to pop culture like anime and movies, as well as some not-so-subtle nods to Blizzard’s other IP including Hearthstone, Diablo, and Starcraft. One of Overwatch 2’s maps is literally called Blizzard World! The upcoming crossover introduces Cowboy Bebop-themed skins, highlight intros, emotes, and more featuring characters like Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, and Ein.
The event’s trailer has already teased these upcoming cosmetics, but we’ll get to see them in their full glory on March 11, the night before they arrive in-game. Plus, you can get Wrecking Ball’s Ein event skin for free during the event, so make sure to jump in and experience how Overwatch 2 feels when accompanied by Cowboy Bebop’s nostalgic soundtrack.
Overwatch 2’s Associate Director, Aimee Dennett says, “This collaboration is a wonderful way to pay homage to the legendary stories, art, animation, and music of the Cowboy Bebop series. We hope its fans and our players have as much fun with what we’re bringing to Overwatch 2 as we did in creating it.”
In a 2023 interview with Kris Holt for Forbes following Overwatch 2’s collaboration with K-Pop group LE SSERAFIM, Dennett confirmed that more crossover events are planned for the rest of the year. She said, “We don’t want to ruin the surprise. But we do have quite a few collaborations planned [for 2024] — more than this year — and are really excited for everyone to see those as well.”
These collaborations are already coming to fruition as just yesterday, Overwatch 2 unveiled the life-size D.Va mech that the team has created alongside Porche and Overwatch competitor and content creator Jay3. The stunningly detailed mech is based on the Porche Macan and is set to arrive in-game in Season 10. Following the reveal of the Porsche Design Magic V2 RSR during the Honor 2024 global launch event at MWC, it seems that the car company is invested in infiltrating the tech and gaming space.
That’s everything we know so far about the Overwatch 2 Cowboy Bebop crossover. Make sure you check out our Overwatch 2 tier list to see how Cassidy Spiegel and Ashe Valentine fair in the current meta.