Blizzard’s latest crossover for Overwatch 2 is more than meets the eye.
Yes, after the crossovers with One Punch Man and Cowboy Bebop, we are getting an Overwatch 2 collaboration with Transformers, and it really could not have happened sooner.
We get a fun trailer laying the premise out like it could be an OVA, too. As explained in the prequel comic Transmission, Megatron finds the Overwatch universe, and chooses to use Ramattra as his avatar. He seduces Ramattra with the promise of meeting their shared goal, “peace at any cost.” Subsequently, Optimus Prime notices what Megatron has done, and with Arcee and Bumblebee in tow, he moves to find other Overwatch heroes so that they can become their avatars too.
And as the trailer shows us, Optimus finds as fitting a host as he can get with Reinhardt, which means he gets a suitable giant red hammer to boot. Arcee steps up to the plate with the veteran soldier Sojourn, and Bastion matches up with Bumblebee.
Not that I had to point it out, but Blizzard really thought this crossover out. Ramattra and Bastion are both robots, while Sojourn and Reinhardt are famously cybernetic. If other crossovers felt more like a costume party, this one feels like it could be really part of the Transformers multiverse canon, at least as much as the Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Transformers.
If there’s anything lacking, it’s that Blizzard could have worked on adding more playable Decepticons. Between Starscream, Deathsaurus, and Scorponok, there are no lack of robot baddies that fans would have loved to play as much as the heroes. And on that note, I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought of an Optimus Primal Winston.
But maybe these are things that Blizzard could set up in the near future, if this crossover is a success. If Blizzard still isn’t quite hitting it with fans when it comes to the current state of Overwatch 2’s balance and game design, maybe crossovers like these will interest enough fans to keep the game going.
And if not more Transformers, it would certainly be a delight if there were future Hasbro Overwatch crossovers as well. I would personally love to see Tracer, D.Va, Mercy, Kiriko, and Symmetra assemble as Jem and the Holograms, but there’s also GI Joe. Or maybe, the Inhumanoids.
Overwatch 2 x Transformers goes live today, July 9, 2024. You can watch the cool little animated trailer below.
