Overwatch 2's Persona 5 Collab Could Spell the End of the Game, If You Listen to the Internet

On March 7, 2023, during Season 3 of Overwatch 2, Blizzard began its very first external IP crossover in the hero shooter with an event featuring One Punch Man. While there were a couple of other collaborations scattered throughout the next several updates, the Cowboy Bebop crossover in Season 9, nearly a year later, started a new paradigm. From then on, Overwatch 2 has had at least one collab every season – and in Season 18, the Phantom Thieves of Persona 5 have stolen their way into Future Earth with skins, challenges, and Easter eggs galore.

However, there is a hilarious and unfortunate trend with many live service games that collaborate with Persona 5: they shut down. Enough titles have seen this phenomenon take place, where it has become a meme known as the "Persona 5 Curse." While the Overwatch 2 x Persona 5 collab will almost certainly not negatively impact the hero shooter, internet superstition might say otherwise.

What Is the Persona 5 Collab Curse?

And Will It Affect Overwatch 2?

Crossover events are not exactly new in the gaming industry, but they have reached a fever pitch in the last decade thanks to games like Fortnite. Gamers love seeing two of their favorite universes collide – and companies love the revenue such collaborations inevitably create.

It is no surprise Persona 5 is a major stop for the collab train. After all, it won Best RPG at The Game Awards 2017, and might have had a shot at Game of the Year, if not for Breath of the Wild. One would think crossing over with Persona 5 would bring nothing but dividends to its collaboration partners.

Even so, the exact opposite has happened to many live service games that have done Persona 5 collabs. Games like Dragalia Lost, Nier Reincarnation, Fullmetal Alchemist Mobile, Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag, and War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius collaborated with Persona 5, only to end service within the next few years. While this is far from proof that the collab was the cause of their shutdowns, it is a rather curious coincidence that it has happened so many times.

All Live Service Games Persona 5 Has Crossed Over With

That said, there are plenty of other live service games that are still going strong after crossing over with Persona 5. Granblue Fantasy, Puzzle & Dragons, and AFK Arena have all done Persona 5 collabs in the past, and have yet to reach end of service, even after several years. This alone proves the so-called Persona 5 Curse does not affect every game that collabs with the JRPG, and is instead an example of confirmation bias.

It is also important to note that all of these shuttered titles were live service mobile games, largely of the gacha variety. The market for these sorts of games is quite saturated, and often dominated by a handful of heavy-hitting gacha titles like Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, and Fate: Grand Order. Less-popular titles must fight for the scraps left over by these giants, which could lead them to try to collaborate with big names like Persona 5. Thus, it is more likely that the games that succumbed to the Persona 5 curse were already struggling before crossing over with the JRPG, with the collab being unable to save them.

Overwatch 2 is in no danger of shutting down any time soon. It isn’t a mobile game; its gacha is purely cosmetics-based via Overwatch 2’s revamped Loot Box system, and the game is in one of its healthiest points since its release in 2022, thanks to big swings like Perks and Stadium. Overwatch 2 may shut down someday in the distant future, but it won’t be because of Persona 5.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image

6 /10

Overwatch 2

Like

Follow

Followed

Display card tags widget

Shooter

Display card system widget

Systems

Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%

Display card main info widget

Released

August 10, 2023

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence

Developer(s)

Blizzard

Publisher(s)

Blizzard

Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start

Display card media widget end

• 
• 
• 

Where to play

Close

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION

• 

DIGITAL

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Cross-Platform Play

PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

Cross Save

yes

Franchise

Overwatch

Steam Deck Compatibility

n/a

Early Access Release

October 4, 2022

PC Release Date

August 10, 2023

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

August 10, 2023

PS5 Release Date

August 10, 2023

Nintendo Switch Release Date

August 10, 2023

Genre(s)

Shooter

Platform(s)

PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Switch, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, PC

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

How Long To Beat

35 hours

X|S Optimized

n/a

Powered by

Expand Collapse