Overwatch harnesses the dread power of K-Pop

In a moment that is decidedly inevitable, Overwatch will undertake a collaboration with a K-Pop group that includes a new game mode and themed in-game items, including Legendary hero skins. The k-pop group Le Sserafim, formed in 2022, will be debuting a single called Perfect Night on October 26, and will come to Overwatch shortly after.

The musicians released a short teaser for the music video that sees them all wearing unique riffs on D.Va’s mecha pilot headset. Though not, in the obvious move, wearing the jumpsuit itself. Which I guess is a small mercy weighed against the full-on corporate branding of the whole thing.

The full details will be revealed on Monday, October 30, 2023, and the game features will go live on November 1. Le Sserafim will also appear at Blizzcon on November 4 if you’d like a little K-Pop with your convention visit.

“One of the fastest growing K-pop groups on the planet, this fearless group of five (KIM CHAEWON, SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA, and HONG EUNCHAE) bring their talents to Overwatch 2 this season,” said Blizzard in a blog post.

Blizzard’s games have long been extremely popular in South Korea, with the original StarCraft essentially originating what is now the modern esports scene there in the late 90s and early 2000s. Their popularity there has never truly died, and Overwatch’s release came complete with D.Va, a character whose whole thing was that she was a pro gamer turned mecha pilot. 

In light of that, it’s shocking that Blizzard has taken this long to do an in-game, non-nerd musical crossover event after Fortnite wildly popularized the idea with things like that wild Travis Scott concert back in 2020.