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Overwatch 2 just launched its Transformers crossover skins as part of its midseason update. Even as someone who is pretty burnt out on Overwatch doing crossovers while its own lore and story are being left to die, I have to admit Blizzard’s artists killed it on this one. Reinhardt, Ramattra, Bastion, and Illari got skins based on Transformers characters, complete with victory poses, highlight intros, and other cosmetics in the event, but they weren’t the only heroes Blizzard was considering adding to the mix.
In an interview with Comicbook, Blizzard product management associate director Aimee Dennett and Overwatch 2 art director Dion Rogers revealed three other Transformers skins were considered for the collaboration but didn’t ultimately make the cut. Rogers told Comicbook “there was not a shortage of ideas” for the Transformers event, and the two mentioned three ideas specifically that were on the table.
Pharah, the flying, rocket-launching, damage-focused hero is at the top of a lot of Overwatch 2 players’ shit lists right now, but she was also nearly part of the Transformers collaboration with a Starscream skin. Even just looking at an image of the character, you can already envision his look on Pharah’s silhouette. The wings on his back and the launchers on his arms already look like Pharah’s flying suit, so you can see how Blizzard looked at Starscream and immediately thought of her.
As the name suggests, Soundwave is a Decepticon that uses audio waves in combat. Lúcio would have been the natural pick to represent him in Overwatch 2, as he’s the one hero whose entire kit is based on soundwaves. His alternate fire that pushes enemies away from him (and likely off the map) is literally called “Soundwave,” so it was destined to be…except not, because Blizzard ended up scrapping the idea in favor of the other four.
The last scrapped idea Blizzard mentions in the interview was dressing up Wrecking Ball as Unicron. This antagonist is a planet-sized Transformer that appears in a spherical shape before changing into his still very large but more recognizable robot form. This would have worked perfectly with Wrecking Ball, a hamster who pilots a ball-shaped mech. Dennett said that while fans would have loved it, Blizzard knew they had to balance the time and resources they had.
So those are just a few of the possibilities that didn’t make the cut, but the skins we have now for Ramattra, Reinhardt, Bastion, and Illari are still pretty great, and managed to capture some of the most recognizable robots in disguise. While the Transformers crossover has been well-received, Overwatch 2 fans are pretty heated about the game’s latest balance patch that many feel made tanks too powerful.