Overwatch 2 thrusts Blizzard’s beloved hero shooter into the realm of live service games, as seasonal content aims to keep the game fresh for years to come. With an Overwatch 2 PvE mode on the way, as well as a new core multiplayer mode and a fresh hero every other Season, Blizzard is giving its community a lot to look forward to. However, there is always room for more content, including a minor feature from games like Destiny 2 and Fortnite: joint emotes.
For the most part, emotes in video games are performed solo, whether it is Widowmaker doing her balet act, Reinhardt pulling out his back, or Mercy doing the hustle dance. However, this limits the possibilities available with emotes, something that developers like Bungie and Epic Games have noticed. Both companies have added some truly special joint emotes into their live service titles, and Overwatch 2 should consider doing the same, as its heroes have distinct personalities that could enhance the concept.
Why Joint Emotes Would Work Well for Overwatch 2
There have been plenty of excellent joint emotes in Fortnite and Destiny 2, some of which would work well in the Overwatch universe. While Sombra and Sigma will not be performing Rick and Morty’s “Get Schwifty” together anytime soon, a hug emote is a possibility. Rock paper scissors and other mini-games could be fun to see in action, while letting heroes dance together could be another good option, with the characters copying the dance of the person that started it. Seeing every hero on the team doing Cassidy’s line dance or Reaper’s edgy stomping could be very entertaining.
Fortunately for Blizzard, some of the existing Overwatch 2 emotes would easily translate to joint emotes, and adding the feature to them retroactively could make them more valuable. For instance, the emote where Orisa pulls out an adorable puppy could see heroes gathering around to pet the canine, while Brigitte’s massive cat could be pet as well. Players could sit down and do some gaming with D.Va, with her screen already visible to those outside her mech and perfect for co-op play.
When 6v6 was removed from Overwatch 2, many Tank mains were sad about the loss of the Zarya and Reinhardt arm wrestling spray combo, which is something that joint emotes could revive and make better than ever. Zarya players could activate an arm wrestling joint emote that other members of the team could join in on, with a few outcomes being available. Animations where Zarya dominates smaller and weaker heroes like Tracer and Lucio could be present, as could ones that give her some competition, with a fellow Tank like Reinhardt holding his own against her.
An arm wrestling emote is just one of many opportunities to tie the joint emotes to the heroes’ personalities. If Blizzard wanted to, it could sneak in special animations when certain heroes interact. Any fan of Overwatch 2’s lore will know that Reaper and Soldier: 76 hate each other, so having their joint emote result in shoving or some other form of hostility instead of the typical animation would add a ton of personality. A joint emote started by Hanzo or Genji could have a similar result when the two brothers come together.
Lastly, Blizzard could let enemy players join in on these joint emotes. Everyone who has played Overwatch 2’s ranked mode will likely have experienced a scenario where one player leaves and the rest of the team follows, which can leave one person alone waiting for the time to run out. In these cases, the enemy team will often stop killing them and simply make friends with the lone player, letting them fool around for the remainder of the match. Joint emotes can make disappointing moments like this more enjoyable, with rare emote combos able to be seen since two Tanks could interact. Though joint emotes are not a must-have feature by any means, two heroes hugging, dancing, or pulling pranks on each other fits perfectly with the series’ existing tone.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
