Overwatch 2 Devs Break Down New Street Fighter 6 Collab (And Why It Makes More Sense Than You Think)

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When Overwatch 2 revealed they would be partnering with various brands, the gaming community was caught off guard by some of the choices. Although the themes of anime series like Cowboy Bebop and My Hero Academia, vehicle franchises like Transformers, and even luxury car brand Porsche aligned well with Overwatch 2’s overall style, the selection of partners for these collaborations sometimes left some players puzzled. However, nothing prepared gamers more than when Blizzard recently confirmed their first official collaboration with another video game (not part of their own collection) – none other than Street Fighter 6.

Despite earlier collaborations between the Overwatch 2 team and other Blizzard franchises like Starcraft and Warcraft, the recent Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 partnership signifies a significant change in both the volume and speed of their releases. This collaboration is set to debut in the game on May 20th, only a week after the Overwatch 2 x Gundam Wing collaboration was removed from the shop. The collaboration includes a total of eight skins (alongside multiple emotes and highlight intros). Team members from Overwatch 2 shared insights with ComicBook about the new skins in this collaboration, explaining why this partnership shouldn’t have caught anyone off guard.

One interesting aspect of the collaboration between Overwatch 2 and Street Fighter, which might not be immediately apparent to fans, is subtly incorporated into the new artwork. For this task, the team behind Overwatch 2 recruited Arnold Tsang, Art Director at Azuki, who was instrumental in creating the visuals for this project. While you may not recognize his name, any player of Overwatch will be familiar with his work, as he previously served as Character Art Director for both Overwatch and its sequel. This collaboration represented a return to Blizzard for Tsang, and it held more personal significance for him than just professional reunion. In addition to being an avid fan of Street Fighter, Tsang was actually the artist behind the first issue of Street Fighter published by UDON back in 2003.

As I recount our brief exchange, let me share that Dion casually mentioned, “We’re working on Street Fighter.” To which I excitedly responded, “Absolutely!” And with that, the conversation came to a close.

Dion Rogers, Art Director for Overwatch 2, stated, “We’d be missing out on something if we didn’t involve you, Arn, in this collaboration.

Tsang described the collaboration as a “divinely perfect fit,” not just for himself since Street Fighter significantly contributed to his artistic journey, but also for Overwatch 2. He further mentioned that the genetic connection between the two games, although they belong to distinct genres, was evident right from the inception of the original Overwatch during its development.

Initially, we were clear about our desire for a game featuring heroes. The question was, what type of heroes would best suit our vision? Personally, I often find inspiration in the world of Street Fighter. To begin with, we decided to establish places of origin for our characters, which reminded me of my old Street Fighter poster. It depicted each character with their national flag beside them and arrows illustrating their connections, creating a fascinating interplay. This design element brought an intriguing dynamic to the game.

Tsang also pointed out that a significant impact “Street Fighter” had on “Overwatch” was in grounding each character within their backgrounds. Characters in “Street Fighter” were always designed with strong influences from their hometowns, and this concept was carried over to “Overwatch”.

In our initial design, Kings Row was originally named London, Tracer hailed from this same city, while Ana came from Cairo, specifically the Temple of Anubis. Hanamura is the birthplace of both Hanzo and Genji. This setup mirrors the world of Street Fighter, where characters originate from distinct locations, each having a map they are associated with.

As an enthusiastic fan, I’m thrilled about the upcoming collaboration between Overwatch 2 and Street Fighter 6! This partnership is set to debut with the largest number of skins ever featured in an Overwatch 2 collaboration. Here’s a sneak peek: Juno transforming into Chun-Li, Kiriko taking on the role of Juri, Winston morphing into Blanka, Sigma channeling M. Bison, Soldier: 76 embodying Guile, Widowmaker becoming Cammy, Zenyatta assuming the form of Dhalsim, and Hanzo stepping into Ryu’s shoes. With such expansive rosters for both Overwatch 2 and Street Fighter, the possibilities for this collaboration were truly boundless!

“I’m pretty sure you can literally make a skin for every single hero in Overwatch,” Tsang joked.

Enthusiasts of both “Overwatch” and “Street Fighter” games might notice several nods or references (Easter eggs) embedded in each character’s skin. For instance, Hanzo’s quiver resembles Ryu’s duffle bag, and Zenyatta has cuts on his body that suggest where Dhalsim from “Street Fighter” can stretch his limbs. One of the standout aspects of these new skins that Rogers found particularly intriguing was Soldier 76’s hair styled as Guile’s, which he described as a “quite challenging” endeavor.

Rogers stated, ‘I adore how it appears in Street Fighter 6. I believe we’ve managed to create something quite similar in game 76. Moreover, we’ve designed an engaging introduction featuring him combing his hair, which is beautifully executed from a 3D standpoint.’

These eight character skins symbolize the comprehensive planning and fervor of the team for turning this collaboration into reality; Rogers mentioned that they went all out to make as many of these happen as feasible. Normally, collaborations release around five or six skins, so the total of eight for Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 represents their most substantial collection thus far. The swift interval between the last collaboration and the latest one doesn’t necessarily indicate a strategic change, but it does suggest that the team has streamlined their process of creating these collaborations.

Rogers stated that our production skills have significantly improved. It’s not about expanding the team, but rather perfecting our techniques. We often find ourselves with tight deadlines, like having just five months to complete certain tasks. However, the team has become exceptionally adept at this. They’ve learned which edits are crucial and where to focus their efforts. When collaborative intellectual property opportunities arise, the team is eager and efficient in diving right in. As a result, the team has grown stronger, leading to potentially more impressive work in the future.

The swift pace at which Overwatch 2 is collaborating with new partners might lead some fans to believe that this practice could be persistent throughout upcoming seasons. However, it’s important to note that it may not become a regular occurrence.

“I don’t know if you should expect to,” Rogers said. “But if we can, we’ll do it. We’ll try.”

Despite our earlier discussions suggesting potential collaborations between their projects that were thought about but discarded, the Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 collaboration did not reveal any shared concepts. Interestingly, the team also mentioned they didn’t explore anything with Ken, a character who initially mirrored Ryu in Street Fighter.

Rogers suggested that perhaps Ken could have been remarkable to interact with,” he said, “either by giving Hanzo a stylish update or delving deeper into Genji’s character.

As a passionate fan, one character’s absence from the collaboration that everyone was eagerly anticipating has been a major letdown – none other than Lucio, the crowd-favorite skating companion, who seemed perfectly poised to don the skin of Street Fighter’s Dee Jay. Although it didn’t materialize this time around, those of us feeling dejected shouldn’t completely lose faith just yet.

Dee Jay playing as Lucio is fantastic,” Rogers remarked when the topic came up. “It might take some time, but we’ll aim to make it happen eventually.

The new Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 collab arrives in game on Tuesday, May 20.

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2025-05-19 19:12