Blizzard Entertainment has revealed a Persona-themed collaboration for Overwatch 2, with Joker from Persona 5 set to arrive as part of Season 18.
The announcement came through the season’s launch trailer, which concluded with an unmistakable tease featuring the Phantom Thieves Attacker. A silhouetted figure appeared against a red star-patterned background before revealing Ren Amamiya’s white mask and red gloves.
The collaboration arrives at an important time for Overwatch 2’s competitive scene, with the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) Stage 4 approaching in September. The crossover could help influence interest for the game, particularly in Japan where Persona maintains significant popularity.
Based on previous collaborations, multiple Overwatch 2 heroes should get skins based on popular Persona 5 characters. (Let’s hope it’s not another Mercy skin.)
Season 18 Could Impact Esports Meta and Viewership
The Persona collaboration launches alongside Season 18’s Stadium Quick Play mode on August 26th. According to Blizzard’s YouTube description, the mode arrives ‘with shorter match times, quicker Item economy, backfill support and cross-play!’ The timing positions the crossover content ahead of major OWCS tournaments scheduled for autumn 2025.
Blizzard has previously leveraged high-profile collaborations to boost engagement during competitive seasons. Past partnerships have included One-Punch Man, LE SSERAFIM, Cowboy Bebop, My Hero Academia and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Beyond the Persona content, Season 18 introduces several updates relevant to the competitive community. The new Support hero Wuyang joins the roster, with abilities focused on tactical repositioning and team utility. Winston, Brigitte, Pharah and Tracer are being added to Stadium rotation, potentially shifting the competitive meta.
“Over 50 new Perks are arriving at launch, with each Hero getting at least one new one,” Blizzard announced. “Season 18 is also bringing a Competitive Rank Reset, allowing a fresh start for everyone.”
Stadium Quick Play’s introduction of Draft Mode allows for pre-match counter-picking, a feature that could translate to future competitive formats if successful. The mode also supports cross-play and backfill, addressing common pain points in ranked queues.
“We’re also bringing a brand new game mode to Stadium with Payload Race, 3 new maps, and the new Draft Mode,” Blizzard stated. The Payload Race mode requires teams to ‘push parallel payloads through checkpoints and fight to the finish line’ with no checkpoint wins possible. Three new maps — Powder Keg Mine, Thames District, and Oasis Gardens — join the rotation.
Two new Mythic skins are also arriving in Season 18. The Sojourn Ultraviolet Sentinel skin is described as featuring ‘four tiers of visual upgrades, including customizable hair styles and unique visual effects, sound effects’and colorways.” The Cassidy Blazing Sunsetter weapon skin ‘responds to every trigger pull, heating up with reactive flair and a deadly flourish.’
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