Overwatch Developers Are Already Brainstorming More Anime Crossovers

It looks like Overwatch is not done with anime collaborations just yet. In a recent interview with a French outlet, Overwatch director Aaron Keller revealed that anime collaborations are currently one of the most discussed ideas within the team, with the developers even debating which anime characters would make the best matches for individual Overwatch heroes.

And honestly, that is probably exactly what you would expect from the Overwatch team at this point. It also looks like some players received a survey listing specific Animated series for future collabs!

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The Team Has an Entire Channel for Collaboration Ideas

Keller explained that the Overwatch team has an internal channel dedicated to discussing potential collaborations. Apparently, there are a lot of anime suggestions being thrown around in there, along with discussions about the characters from those franchises and who could fit particular Overwatch heroes. So yes, somewhere inside Blizzard, there are probably developers having the same arguments that Overwatch fans have on social media.

Keller also says that figuring out these character combinations is part of what makes collaborations fun for the developers too. That does not mean every idea in that channel is being seriously considered for production, of course. There can be plenty of fan-favorite suggestions internally that never go anywhere. But it does confirm that anime crossovers are very much on the team’s radar.

Overwatch Takes Collaborations Pretty Seriously

Keller also explained how they approach potential collaborations. The biggest thing is apparently authenticity. The developers need to understand and appreciate the franchise they are working with. They do not want to just pick a popular IP because it would sell some skins. Keller pointed to One-Punch Man, Overwatch’s first big anime collaboration, as a good example of this approach. The crossover was not just about putting anime characters into the game. It included direct references to the source material, and they tried to make the characters feel appropriate for Overwatch.

Basically, they generally look at three things when deciding if a collaboration makes sense:

• First, internal enthusiasm. The developers themselves need to enjoy the franchise
• Second, player interest. Blizzard uses surveys to see what franchise Overwatch players would want to see
• And third, thematic fit. There needs to be a convincing connection between the external character and the Overwatch hero they are being paired with

That last part is probably why the character-matching discussions are so important. It is not enough for Blizzard to simply pick two popular characters. They need to make the pairing feel like it really makes sense.

So What Anime Could Be Next?

That is where things get interesting, but also where we need to be careful. Keller did not reveal the next collaboration. The fact that he specifically talked about anime collaborations being heavily discussed does not mean the next crossover is definitely anime, either. There have been plenty of player surveys covering different anime, games, and movies, and those surveys can give us an idea of what players are interested in. But being included in a survey is not confirmation that a collaboration is happening.

What we do know is that there are apparently plenty of anime ideas floating around internally at Blizzard.

Something Bigger Is Also Coming

Keller also teased something potentially much bigger for Overwatch. He described Season 1 right now as a real expansion for the game and said he would like the team to deliver something of that size every year. Despite adding more and more regular content to the game, Blizzard is also working on another big feature or innovation. Keller did not reveal what it is, but said he is particularly excited about it.

That immediately makes BlizzCon 2026 an interesting event to watch. As a reminder, BlizzCon takes place on September 12-13 in Anaheim, and Overwatch’s 10th anniversary will be one of the big topics of the event. Blizzard has already teased anniversary activities, surprises, and Overwatch announcements, so you might not want to miss out on that one.

There could be quite a bit for Overwatch fans to look forward to over the next few months!

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