Blizzard will be offering an exclusive Legendary Kiriko skin forOverwatch 2through Twitch ahead of the upcoming team-based shooter’s release.Overwatch 2’s multiplayer half launches on October 4 and will feature Kiriko as the game’s newest hero. To build up excitement forOverwatch 2’s launch and Kiriko, Blizzard wants to offer a special reward for the character. It’ll just require watching someOverwatch 2on Twitch shortly after the game arrives.
In recent years, several game releases have successfully harnessed the reach of Twitch to help their launches go viral. Blizzard especially needs to capitalize on Twitch, as it’s building up the audience forOverwatch 2’s esports league. The more viewers Blizzard draws toOverwatch 2on Twitch, the more players are likely to try the newly free-to-play experience, and in turn, help makeOverwatch 2’s launch a success. A Kiriko skin drop could help make that happen.
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The skin in question is named the Legendary Sukajan Kiriko skin and, by design, Blizzard won’t be making it available immediately afterOverwatch 2’s launch. Instead, Blizzard is strategically making the Twitch drop available starting on October 7. Those who watch six total hours ofOverwatch 2between October 7 and October 16 will be able to unlock the skin in-game. The skin features Kiriko in more casual fare, wearing a white and blue jacket, black tights, and headphones around her neck.
The strategy is to helpboostOverwatch 2’s Twitch viewershipgoing into the first weekend after the game’s launch. Blizzard is assuming thatOverwatch 2will be popular enough on its own without a Twitch drop on October 4, instead focusing on the weekend where more players will be free to try outOverwatch 2for themselves. It could lead to a surge in Twitch viewership forOverwatch 2stretching a week or more, helping to minimize the frustrations of Twitch’s historically short attention span.
Kiriko’s Legendary skin isn’t the only reward thatBlizzardwill be offering forOverwatch 2through Twitch, though. After the Kiriko Legendary skin availability week ends, Blizzard will offer a Kiriko Razor Sharp spray and a Donut Weapon Charm as Twitch drops from October 17 through October 25. Watching two hours unlocks the spray, and another three hours (for five total) to get the ornament.
Kiriko is a big part of Blizzard’s push forOverwatch 2so it’s no surprise that a Legendary skin for her is being offered as a promotional reward. What’s interesting about it, however, is that Kiriko is not unlocked immediately for free-to-play players. They’ll have to progress to level 55 inOverwatch 2’s battle passto unlock Kiriko unless they want to spend money upfront to unlock her. That’s how free-to-play monetization works, though, and is just another glimpse at the future ofOverwatch.
Overwatch 2releases on October 4 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
