In November 2018 we introduced you to the Overwatch Cosplay Battle taking place in Europe. Tomorrow, March 26, the competition comes to a close, with a victor to be announced. From March 18 to March 24, the community was able to vote on their favorite choices. Blizzard made this about more than national pride, as well. The grand prize consists of a 3D printer and roughly €2,500 (~$2,830) in supplies. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill Cosplay, either. The costumes have been erected by entire teams of dedicated artists, who pushed the envelope and changed our understanding of what is possible.
The finalists consist of six teams, each representing their home country. A panel of both fans and experts will determine the winners. Determining a winner, however, will prove to be no small feat. Each finalist has brought something completely surreal to the table.
The finalists
Spain took on the Baihu skin for Genji (team: Nebulaluben_, MadeOutOfFoam, and Ireneskyworld).
France tackled Torbjörn in his Magni skin, a character who requires lots of working mechanics (team: Papa Cosplay, Kiilys Cosplay, and Nad cosplay).
Genji made a second appearance in the finals in his Blackwatch skin, developed by Italy (team: Leon Chiro, Starchild Props, and NadiaSK).
The Germans left their engineering heritage in Torbjörn to France, opting instead for Symmetra’s Dragon skin. (team: ArtcoreCosplay, wegenaer, and Monono).
Russia built a behemoth in the form of a full-scale D.Va mech (team: Alfakot, irine_meier, and Yaroslav Rouch).
The UK chose to embark on another (literally) massive undertaking, Forest Spirit Orisa (team: Nic Samiotis, Littlejem, and Tabitha Lyons).
The Overwatch Cosplay Battle is truly helping to take Cosplay to the next level. Everything from the imposing size of D.Va’s mech, to the critical details you’ll find sprinkled throughout Spain’s Genji. Blizzard will announce the champions tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled.
The real winners of this competition are the fans, however. It’s a rare opportunity to gaze upon the world’s greatest Cosplay, let alone so many amazing projects all at once. The winning team will get tangible prizes, but the remaining participants deserve mountains of respect.
Be sure to go back and click on the Twitter and Instagram pages of your favorite costume’s team members. We’re confident they’d be very pleased to get some positive feedback and supportive words, and they sure do deserve it.
