The team-based shooter Overwatch has successfully integrated music into its ecosystem through recent crossover events with J-pop duo YOASOBI and K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM.
These collaborations typically include playable character skins, in-game accessories, promotional videos, themed bundles, and exclusive tracks. However, fans have observed that these partnerships often originate in East Asia, prompting demands for the studio to broaden its international scope.
Walter Kong, Head of Live Games at Blizzard, addressed these requests at the BlizzCon convention this weekend, outlining the company’s updated approach to NME.
“We have team members planning future opportunities, and the concepts we’re exploring are quite diverse,” Kong stated. “We certainly don’t want to limit ourselves to narrow musical collaborations. We’re looking for exciting possibilities across a wider spectrum.”
Kong confirmed that these partnerships could extend to UK or US rappers, but emphasized that Overwatch must avoid replicating musical collaboration paths already explored by other titles—a clear nod to Fortnite, which introduced Fortnite Festival in 2023 and regularly partners with mainstream American artists like Laufey, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter for playable in-game content.
“When considering our original LE SSERAFIM collaboration, I felt the band members shouldn’t appear directly,” Kong explained, highlighting the choice to draw inspiration from each member’s aesthetic rather than simply transplanting their likenesses into Overwatch. “It needs to capture the imagination of our players, making them feel like they’re attending a concert, getting excited, and dressing up for the occasion.”
He added, “I believed that was a more authentic expression than merely placing real-life individuals into a game.”
When Overwatch x LE SSERAFIM launched in 2023, it featured a new format called Concert Clash. This limited-time 3v3 arcade mode required players to collect ‘concert tickets’ and deposit them into control zones. While popular, Associate Game Director Alec Dawson told NME not to expect its return anytime soon.
“We gained valuable insights from that event mode,” Dawson noted. “If we bring it back, we’d likely want to refine it, but I adore the concept of characters actually attending a concert… it was enjoyable to design. Perhaps something different in the future could capture that same atmosphere.”
J-pop legends and former NME cover stars @YOASOBI_staff just lit up the @ow_esports World Cup half-time show at #Blizzcon gaming convention in Anaheim, California
Check out ‘Idol’, their global megahit that opened the set in style pic.twitter.com/jsK6QmeX3W
— NME (@NME) September 13, 2026
YOASOBI celebrated their recent Overwatch partnership by headlining the esport’s World Cup half-time show at BlizzCon on September 13.
Arriving over an hour late following an extended semi-final between France and South Korea that went to a tie-breaking fifth match, the Japanese duo and former NME cover stars performed a short set featuring the global hit ‘Idol’ and their Overwatch-exclusive track ‘Orion’.
LE SSERAFIM are also scheduled to perform at the returning annual convention, which last took place in 2023. They will headline the closing ceremony on the main stage at the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest venue of its kind on the US West Coast.
“It was incredibly exciting to consider the possibility of having both acts perform here,” Kong said. “LE SSERAFIM are friends with YOASOBI, so it was a great opportunity to share this with fans of our game and their fans.”