Overwatch’s collaboration with NieR: Automata was accidentally revealed early by Blizzard. Here’s a quick look at the included skins and the community’s thoughts about them.
NieR: Automata Skins 2B, 9S, & More Coming to Overwatch
An Accidental Reveal
The Overwatch x NieR: Automata collaboration event was accidentally revealed by Blizzard Entertainment through a now-removed YouTube Short posted over the weekend. Players, most notably the popular fan page Overwatch Cavalry, managed to capture a screenshot of the collaboration before the video was taken down.
The captured image outlines five major skins that players will be able to purchase in the hero shooter once the collaboration, called "Project YoRHa," goes live. It features Kiriko, Mercy, and several newer Overwatch heroes, including Vendetta, who is redesigned with the signature black-and-white aesthetic associated with NieR: Automata creator Yoko Taro. While NieR: Automata fans will immediately recognize these characters, the following list provides context on which NieR characters each Overwatch hero is based on.
⚫︎ Kiriko as 2B, the iconic protagonist of NieR: Automata
⚫︎ Mercy as The Commander, leader of the YoRHa Elite Squadron of Combat Androids
⚫︎ Vendetta as A2, a major character in NieR: Automata
⚫︎ Lifeweaver as Adam, a secondary antagonist in NieR: Automata
⚫︎ Wuyang as 9S, a protagonist of NieR: Automata and a partner to 2B
It remains unclear how much these skins will cost, but based on Overwatch’s previous pricing, players can expect individual skins to be priced at around 2,600 Overwatch Gold Coins, or roughly $25 to $30. Full skin bundles, meanwhile, typically range from $50 to $60, depending on the rarity of the included skins.
The reception to the accidental reveal was mixed. While the official Overwatch Cavalry tweet racked up nearly 11 million views on X (formerly Twitter), some players expressed frustration over Blizzard Entertainment once again giving major crossover skins to Kiriko and Mercy, both of whom also received prominent skins during the more recent Sanrio collaboration that launched alongside Overwatch’s Season 1 rebrand. It has been widely known within the community that both characters are favorites among some of the developers, which has resulted in them receiving more skins than the average Overwatch hero. Players were hoping to see more skins from the lesser-known characters like Lucio or even Zarya, who has not received a legendary skin for almost a decade.
Despite some debate over the crossover’s character choices, the collaboration was generally well received by fans, with several comments praising Blizzard, saying, "Blizzard is cooking a lot lately." Even the official The Game Awards account on X shared Overwatch Cavalry's post, further amplifying its credibility.
This is also not the first time 2B has appeared in other franchises. Yoko Taro has frequently brought the series’ star character into other titles, including Rainbow Six: Siege, Ubisoft’s first-person tactical shooter, and fighting games like Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising and Soulcalibur VI. More recently, Stellar Blade also collaborated with NieR: Automata, adding 2B’s outfit to Eve’s selection of costumes.
The Overwatch x NieR: Automata, according to the now-deleted YouTube Short, is expected to drop this March 10, 2026. An official reveal should be around the corner.
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