The words "dating sim" and Overwatch may not have been a combination that fans were expecting, but Overwatch 2's recent Valentine's Day event and dating simulator Loverwatch brought romance to the hero shooter in interesting ways. Overwatch 2 has treated players to a few pieces of new content since its launch in October 2022, much like its predecessor's regular updates and seasonal events. This includes new maps like Antarctic Peninsula, a One-Punch Man collaboration, and the return of PachiMarchi with a new game mode, but Loverwatch has been one of Overwatch 2's more innovative additions.
This isn't the first time a game has introduced a dating sim alongside its main offering, even if it seems fairly incongruent with the title's genre at first. There's been a ton of fan-created content that centers around romance for Overwatch and its colorful cast of characters, but Loverwatch might not have seen the light of day if it wasn't for games like Hooked on You, the dating sim for Behaviour Interactive's survival horror title Dead by Daylight.
Overwatch 2's Loverwatch
To coincide with Valentine's Day this year, Overwatch 2 launched a limited-time event to bring an air of romance to the popular FPS. The all-new event added an arcade brawl along with the chance for players to earn new cosmetics by participating in special challenges, all themed around the holiday that celebrates lovers. In addition to these in-game perks, Blizzard launched a dating sim called Loverwatch – Love Never Dies that lets gamers get up close and personal with Genji, Mercy, and even Hanzo through a secret ending.
This non-canonical dating simulator is available on most major desktop web browsers up until February 28 and lets players visit a few locations based on in-game maps as they pursue either Mercy or Genji. Romancing either character by choosing the right dialogue options in Loverwatch unlocks Easter eggs and inside jokes as fans explore all the romantic possibilities. This fun little dating sim has been a highly anticipated release for some fans, especially in a community that is heavily invested in the game's characters and often ships many different relationships. However, Loverwatch might not have been possible without experiments like Hooked on You.
How Hooked On You Helped
Behaviour Interactive's 2016 asymmetric horror Dead by Daylight seems even less compatible with a dating sim than Overwatch 2, and yet Hooked on You was created after players were asked what type of game they'd want the developer to work on next based on the Dead by Daylight characters. Officially announced in May 2022, Hooked on You: A Dead by Daylight Dating Sim was a choice-driven visual novel where killer characters from the survival horror game could be romanced in a tropical setting. With a quirky anime style that matched its tongue-in-cheek humor, Hooked on You let gamers flip the script on Dead by Daylight's asymmetrical gameplay with a completely different one-versus-four dynamic.
Just like Loverwatch, Hooked on You turned the rules of its base game on its head and offered players something new, all within a world that they'd come to love. Although Loverwatch may be slightly different in its execution, it's easy to see how the colorful dating sim could have been inspired at least in part by Behaviour Interactive's version. Fans responded positively to seeing Dead by Daylight's murderous characters in a new light, and although Overwatch's own heroes might not have been quite as fearsome, its similar approach opens the doors for more IPs to explore the world of dating.
Overwatch 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
