What you need to know
- A new trailer has been uploaded by Blizzard Entertaining showcasing Overwatch 2's upcoming collaboration cosmetic skins with the critically-acclaimed anime series, Cowboy Bebop.
- The Legendary skins in question are a Spike Spiegel skin for Cassidy, a Faye Valentine skin for Ashe, a Jet Blake skin for Mauga, an Ed skin for Sombra, and an Ein skin for Wrecking Ball.
- The skins will be available to purchase and earn in Overwatch 2 on March 12, 2024.
- UPDATE: Overwatch artist Mike Hardison offered an in-universe explanation for these collaboration events, which you can read below.
A while ago, Overwatch 2 teased a big collaboration with the classic 1990s sci-fi anime series, Cowboy Bebop, in the form of cosmetic Skins based on the main cast from the show. Now we get to see what those skins look like in action as Blizzard Entertainment has shown them off in a gameplay trailer.
As you can see from the trailer, certain Overwatch 2 will be getting these Cowboy Bebop-inspired skins which include Cassidy as Spike Spiegel, Ashe as Faye Valentine, Mauga as Jet Blake, Sombra as Ed, and Wrecking Ball as Ein.
That last one is noteworthy Wrecking Ball's Ein skin can be earned for free by completing challenges and playing games.
In addition to cosmetic skins, there will be new emotes to buy, and background music from the Cowboy Behop show will be played in-game. The Cowboy Bebop skins, emotes and music will be available for Overwatch 2 tomorrow on March 12, 2024.
UPDATE (March 12, 2024): As a random aside, Overwatch 2 principle artist Mike Hardison offered an in-universe explanation for these collaborative events. Indeed, Overwatch is set in an alternative "real world" Earth, which means things like Cowboy Bebop and One Punch Man actually existed (as well as Blizzard itself, hence the map Blizzard World). As such, all of the collab event outfits are, in fact, character cosplays by the various Overwatch characters. Pretty cool.
@HazeletOW , you are correct about the OW characters cosplaying as other collab characters. OW wants to keep the identity & artstyle of the characters through the various collabs, something other IPs are not always so concerned with. That's our line in the sand.March 11, 2024
See you at Route 66 space cowboy
Overwatch 2 has done some pretty crazy collaborations this past year with its collaboration with One Punch Man, the K-POP group LE SSERAFIM, and most recently, Porsche of all things. This Cowboy Behop collaboration is no exception and is sure to tickle the nostalgia of many old-school anime fans who grew up watching Cowboy Behop on Toonami back in the 1990s.
These Collaboration skins, coupled with the many gameplay changes introduced in Season 9, will most definitely keep hardcore Overwatch fans hooked for a good long time and perhaps introduce fans of the show to the wild and heroic world of this long-running competitive Xbox shooter.
Overwatch 2 is available to download for free as a free-to-play game on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
