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Overwatch and YOASOBI Collaboration Announced With New Song Orion

The collaboration marks Overwatch's first major tie-in with a Japanese music act, explicitly designed as a Japan-specific initiative that combines the game's lore with YOASOBI's novel-to-music format, rather than a standard cross-promotion.

Key Facts

  • Activision Blizzard Japan announced the Overwatch and YOASOBI collaboration at a Tokyo presentation on May 28.
  • YOASOBI produced a new song titled 'Orion' based on a short story called 'The Sparrow That Fell to Earth,' published the same day.
  • The collaboration begins on July 1, with in-game skins for Kiriko, Genji, and Hanzo.
  • The song 'Orion' will appear on YOASOBI's EP 'THE BOOK 4,' releasing June 26, with a US-exclusive Overwatch edition vinyl.
  • A new Overwatch map called Neon Junction, inspired by Tokyo's Akihabara, launches on June 17.

Reporting from 6 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer, KAI-YOU, and 2 more.

Overwatch and YOASOBI Collaboration Announced With New Song Orion

Activision Blizzard Japan announced a collaboration between the hero shooter Overwatch and the music unit YOASOBI at a presentation in Tokyo on May 28. The collaboration begins on July 1. YOASOBI produced a new song titled "Orion" based on a short story called "The Sparrow That Fell to Earth," which was published on the same day. The story follows Genji visiting Tokyo and recalling childhood memories with Hanzo and Kiriko. The song's title references the Orion constellation, with Ayase explaining that the theme is the three stars that appear close together from a certain angle but are actually far apart, mirroring the characters' relationships. The song will appear on YOASOBI's EP "THE BOOK 4," releasing June 26, with a US-exclusive Overwatch edition vinyl. In-game skins themed around Kiriko, Genji, and Hanzo will be added. A music video for "Orion" is being produced by animation studio A-1 Pictures. At the event, Overwatch development team members Lead Hero Producer Kenny Hudson and Narrative Design Lead Miranda Moyer appeared alongside YOASOBI's Ayase and ikura.

At the presentation in Tokyo, Activision Blizzard Japan Brand Manager Asa Murata said the company wants to create "new developments" that combine Japanese culture as a unique initiative for Japan, beyond e-sports. The collaboration is part of that push.

Lead Hero Producer Kenny Hudson and Narrative Design Lead Miranda Moyer from the Overwatch development team appeared on stage. Moyer said collaborating with YOASOBI was a "dream come true" for the team and that they are excited to bring YOASOBI's "legendary storytelling ability" into Overwatch.

YOASOBI's Ayase and ikura attended in "Overwatch-style" outfits and nails. Ayase's nails matched the colors of Genji and Hanzo with a "near-future" motif. Ikura said she admires heroes like Kiriko who have "both the power to fight and protect." Ayase said the song's sound is futuristic with a drum base but also incorporates the sound of the koto, a Japanese harp, because the new map is Tokyo-themed. He added, "We made it with our J-POP spirit fully loaded."

The new map, called Neon Junction, is the first Hybrid map added to Overwatch in about four years. It uses a neon cityscape inspired by Tokyo's Akihabara and pop culture aesthetics. The map is tied to the in-game criminal organization Hashimoto-gumi. It launches on June 17, before the collaboration campaign begins on July 1.

Ikura said of the Kiriko skin, "This neon-inspired look really suits her; it's especially cute." Ayase said the skin mixes various elements and matches their image of Neo Tokyo. The skin appears in both the game and the music video.

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 6 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

Overwatch Orion YOASOBI

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