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Are Fortnite-style branded collaborations the key to Overwatch 2’s future success?

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It’s been a rough month for the launch of Overwatch 2. In the first few days of its release, Blizzard’s long-awaited sequel to the 2016 team-based shooter was plagued with connection issues, leaving millions of players unable to enter matches. While many of the problems relating to server issues have now been addressed, Blizzard now has another challenge on its hands: making enough sales from microtransactions to support the franchise’s move to a free-to-play model.

So far, that’s been pretty difficult. Overwatch 2’s recent Halloween event, Halloween Terror, introduced a variety of themed character and weapon skins into the game for the ‘discounted’ price of 2000 Overwatch Coins each, roughly the equivalent of $20. A legendary skin for the character Kiriko was available for 2600 Overwatch Coins, a discount on the original price of 3700 Overwatch Coins. As you might imagine, this is already causing upset amongst some players, especially as this year’s Halloween update removed the option to earn unlockable skins simply by progressing through the game.

Evidently, some players aren’t willing to spend over $20 for an alternative outfit for their character. However, we do know that players are more than happy to spend roughly the same price in other free-to-play games such as Fortnite to unlock characters from popular franchises, whether that’s Goku from Dragon Ball Z or Marvel’s Spider-Man. This is something that Jon Spector, Overwatch’s commercial leader and vice president at Blizzard, seems well aware of, according to a recent interview with GameInformer.

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In the interview, Spector announced that while he isn’t a Fortnite player, he thinks it’s ‘super cool’ and ‘awesome’ to see branded collaborations such as Naruto appear in Fortnite.
“As we look at the Overwatch 2 space, those are things that we’re interested in exploring,” he says.

So, with Overwatch 2’s current monetisation strategies leaving a lot to be desired, could we see a shift towards branded collaborations as a core monetisation strategy rather than the traditional legendary and epic skins? Dropping the price of skins and embracing Fortnite-style collaborations would make a lot of commercial sense for Overwatch 2, especially as the company still seems torn on its pricing, according to a recent survey sent out to select players.

We know that Fortnite’s collaborations with the likes of Marvel, NFL, Nike and Ferrari have been hugely successful for Epic, largely due to the amount of revenue they generate from the sale of cosmetic items such as skins, emotes, banners and emoticons. As an example, the game’s collaboration with NFL resulted in 3.3 million NFL-themed skins being sold for $15 each in November and December 2018, according to leaked court documents from the Apple v Epic case. That’s nearly $50 million in revenue.

The big question now is how easily Overwatch 2 can replicate Fornite’s primary business model, and how well-suited these collaborations are for the Overwatch brand.

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One of the biggest challenges facing Overwatch 2 is the fact it’s a hero-based shooter, with each hero boasting their own unique set of skills, traits and playstyles. As is often the case with team-based shooters, players often find themselves favouring specific heroes, whether that’s offensive heroes or defensive heroes that suit their preferred styles of playing.

This means Overwatch 2 will have to think carefully about how it rolls out branded collaborations. As an example, will a Marvel collaboration introduce special themed skins for every single hero in the game, or will it introduce a new limited-time character into the game? The introduction of any new character will have to be calculated carefully, so it doesn’t negatively impact the balance of existing characters.

It’s more likely that Overwatch 2 will introduce themed skins rather than new characters such as those seen in Dragon Ball Z. Depending on the popularity of the IP that Overwatch 2 pursues, I suspect players will be more susceptible to investing $15 or $20 into a skin that turns their favourite Overwatch hero into an alternative version of their favourite anime, film, TV or comic book characters, whether that’s Spider-Man, Darth Vader or one of The Transformers.

The hero-based mechanics of Overwatch 2 could also mean skins are only available for specific characters. While this might cause backlash amongst some fans at first, it could also open up alternative revenue streams. As an example, the style and appearance of the tank hero Reinhardt lends itself well to a Transformers skin. Players that don’t typically choose Reinhardt but are huge Transformers fans may be tempted to purchase a Transformers skin for him and start using him more. In turn, this could lead to a knock-on effect for players who go on to purchase Reinhardt’s wider cosmetic items.

There’s no denying that Overwatch 2 is a great game; the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. If Overwatch 2 continues to struggle with monetisation models, branded collaborations like those in Fortnite might be the answer to its future success. But taking an established franchise that previously carried a full-price retail tag and moving it over to a free-to-play model is no easy task.

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Key considerations when choosing your target IP

If you’re a game developer looking to emulate Fornite’s IP success, there are a few things you need to consider before bringing IP into your game.

  • Don’t pick a target IP just because it’s a really popular brand or character. Look at your game and your players and ask yourself if it’s something that will resonate with them. For example, a clever partnership between The Walking Dead and State of Survival brought 20 million new players to the game. So a good understanding of your player demographics is a must. Be prepared to prove this to the license holders, too, as they’ll be just as interested to know if there’s any audience overlap.
  • It may sound simple, but make sure you do your homework. Different IP rights holders can have very different priorities and strict requirements for usage. Bigger properties, especially ones that are popular with children, can be especially stringent as its in the holders interests to carefully limit their use. So, it’s up to developers to demonstrate their ability to comply with them. Being prepared can give you a huge advantage, and help clear some of the initial screening phases and get in front of the right decision-makers.
  • There are more ways to integrate IP into your game than ever. So think carefully about your main goals, as simpler in-game items, like cosmetics and skins, are often much easier to negotiate with rights holders due to less complicated terms, plus, lighter development and creative costs can make them much quicker to roll out. FIFA 23 recently brought Apple TV’s Ted Lasso as well as Marvel cards to Ultimate Team, with these simple, smart deals opening the door for more collaborations in future.

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TWO NEW WORLDS WERE UNVEILED AT ZITRO EXPERIENCE MEXICO 2024

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Play’n GO announces network-wide US release of hit title Colt Lightning Firestorm

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Eagerly anticipated release now confirmed following a highly successful exclusivity period with Rush Street Interactive

Play’n GO has today announced the official US release of its hit title Colt Lightning Firestorm, following a three-week period of exclusivity with Rush Street Interactive brands BetRivers and SugarHouse.

Colt Lightning Firestorm was released in Europe and other jurisdictions in May 2024, and its release in the US comes with much fanfare following the game’s rave reviews in its short exclusivity period. The game is a sequel to the wildly popular Colt Lightning game which was released early last year, and indications at this stage suggest that this sequel may prove even more successful.

This announcement sees Colt Lightning Firestorm available to players in each state and operator with whom Play’n GO is licensed. Play’n GO first entered the online casino market in the US in 2022, and has reiterated its commitment to becoming active in every regulated market around the world.

Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer at Play’n GO said: “We’re excited to unveil Colt Lightning Firestorm to the wider online casino gaming community in the US, and have been very pleased to see its strong performance during its exclusivity period with Rush Street Interactive. We had high hopes for the game following the success of its predecessor, and we’re confident that these robust results will continue now that the game is available to an even bigger audience.”

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BLAST to Bring Top-Tier Esports Events to Singapore in 2024 and 2025

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Esports entertainment company BLAST has announced plans to host two popular esports events in Singapore in 2024 and 2025.

BLAST will bring both world-class Counter-Strike and Dota 2 tournaments to the heart of Southeast Asia, marking a major step in Singapore’s emergence as an esports and gaming hub. Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), these high-profile events will bring the world’s best esports teams and players from all across the world to compete in Singapore.

BLAST has teamed up with AEG Presents Asia, one of the world’s largest live entertainment entities to bring these events to Singapore. The partnership forms part of BLAST’s ambition to create the best esports experiences by working closely with premier destinations and the biggest and best live entertainment partners.

More than half of global esports views (57%) are estimated to come from the Asia Pacific region, 47% more than any other region in the world with the global market valued at $1.6 billion.

By bringing the top-tier Counter-Strike and Dota 2 tournaments to Singapore, BLAST aims

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to attract global esports talent, foster local growth, and elevate Singapore’s status as a destination for world-class esports entertainment.

James Woollard, Director of Market Development at BLAST, said: “We are incredibly excited to bring two of the biggest esports titles to this vibrant destination. Over the coming 18 months, Singapore will become a major hub for esports in Southeast Asia, and with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board, we look forward to delivering unforgettable experiences for fans while helping to build a thriving esports ecosystem in the region. Bringing the first BLAST arena event to Singapore is an exciting first step in this journey. The World Final will see the world’s best Counter-Strike players and teams fighting for a $1,000,000 total prize pool.”

Ms Ong Ling Lee, Executive Director, Sports and Wellness, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “We are excited to host the BLAST Premier World Final and the BLAST Dota Slam in Singapore. The Counter-Strike event marks the first BLAST-branded event in Southeast Asia and the inaugural Counter-Strike tournament series in the region, solidifying Singapore’s position as a world-class esports destination. We are confident that the international participants and their legions of fans will have a memorable experience in Singapore, immersing themselves in the diverse and dynamic offerings of our city.”

The World Final 2024 will take place from 30th October – 3rd November and will be the first BLAST event to take place in Singapore, followed by the BLAST Dota Slam in 2025. The World Final will be the biggest Counter-Strike event to take place in Singapore, where the world’s best eight Counter-Strike teams will compete for a massive prize pool of $1,000,000 and the chance to claim bragging rights as the best team around.

Qualified World Final teams: NAVI, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, FaZe Clan and G2 Esports.

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Fans can sign-up for the pre-sale window by registering with BLAST.tv, where they will also receive updates and information on tickets.

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