Joker Sneaks Into Overwatch 2 — Persona 5 Crossover Teased for Season 18 (Aug 26)

Overwatch 2’s next season — season 18 — launches next week, and it brings a Persona 5 crossover along with several gameplay additions. The season’s launch trailer ends on a clear tease: Joker from Persona 5 appears as a costume for an Overwatch hero. Read on for the concrete details we know so far.

• Trailer tease: Joker from Persona 5 appears as a skin in the season 18 launch trailer.
• New and returning modes: Stadium Quick Play, Stadium-ready heroes, and Payload Race for Stadium.
• New content and changes: a new hero (Wuyang), a Perks overhaul with 50+ hero modifiers, and a Sojourn Mythic skin.
• Other notes: Competitive rank reset and the season release date (Aug 26).

Trailer tease and Persona 5 crossover

Blizzard’s season 18 launch trailer closes with an unmistakable nod to Persona 5: Joker appears, effectively teased as a skin for one of Overwatch 2’s heroes. Therefore, players can expect at least one Persona-themed cosmetic in the season 18 drop. For context, Blizzard has used licensed skins in past crossovers, so this fits the studio’s recent pattern.

What else is coming in season 18

Beyond the Persona tease, Blizzard confirmed several concrete gameplay and content updates for season 18. First, Stadium Quick Play is being added, and Stadium will get four heroes available specifically in that mode. In addition, Stadium will support Payload Race game types. Second, the game will introduce a new hero: Wuyang, described as a Chinese water-wielding support character. Third, Blizzard is overhauling Perks with more than 50 new hero modifiers, which will change how hero modifiers work across matches.

Season 18 also includes a Competitive rank reset, and Blizzard announced a new Ultraviolet Sentinel Mythic skin for Sojourn. Finally, the roster of heroes playable in Stadium matches specifically includes Winston, Brigitte, Pharah, and Tracer.

Release date

Season 18 of Overwatch 2 launches on Aug 26.

Previous crossover examples

For reference, Overwatch 2 has previously featured crossovers and licensed skins from other franchises, including One-Punch Man, My Hero Academia, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Street Fighter, Cowboy Bebop, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. This Persona 5 tease continues that trend.