win.gg
Win.gg News Jeff Kaplan talks Overwatch & Smash Bros crossover characters

Jeff Kaplan talks Overwatch & Smash Bros crossover characters

Olivia Richman
Olivia Richman Published 18/11/2019

When Overwatch was announced for the Nintendo Switch, fans’ minds had immediately gone to character crossover possibilities. 

In an interview with Game Informer, Overwatch’s lead designer Jeff Kaplan answered a lot of questions revolving around those possibilities. Gmae Informer’s Andrew Reiner decided to ask Kaplan which Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character Kaplan would want to see in Overwatch 2. 

“Nothing would make me happier than putting Link into our game,” he said. 

This is an answer that many Overwatch fans seem to already be in agreement with. Earlier this year, one Overwatch player decided to take the crossover into their own hands. The video featured Link receiving a “play of the game” award in Overwatch, showing off his abilities along the way. 

It appears that they imagined the Hero of Hyrule to be a tanky DPS or a light tank similar to Brigitte. Link would block damage using his shield and have the ability to charge forward at a rapid pace with his Master Sword stretched in front of him. Link also has bombs, boomerangs, and arrows as other possible damage options, which could transform him into a long-range DPS like Hanzo or Ashe. 

Link was a playable character in Soul Calibur 2 for the GameCube, showing off his versatility as a crossover character. It’s not too far fetched to imagine him in Overwatch’s world. But since the game is so heavy on lore, it’s unclear how this would fit into the storyline. 

Game Informer also asked Kaplan which Overwatch hero he’d want to see used as Smash Ultimate DLC. Kaplan answered Tracer without hesitation. This is actually a question he’s been asked in the past, and his answer hasn’t changed.

“Tracer’s our girl, Tracer’s our mascot. She’d be my first choice. There’s a lot of great runners up. I think a lot of people can immediately see Doomfist gameplay applying to Smash, but if it were up to me, I’d like to see Tracer,” Kaplan told IGN in October. 

While it’s clear that the crossover with Smash is something Kaplan is open to, he noted that having one of their heroes in Smash is not something that’s up to the Overwatch team.

“To the Smash Bros team, whatever character you want, we love them all. They’re all our babies, you can have any single one of them. We have 31 to choose from,” Kaplan said, seemingly giving Nintendo the green light to collaborate. 

A Nintendo Direct in September announced that there would be even more DLC fighters beyond the five included in the original Smash Bros Fighter Pass. This opens up even more possibilities for a potential Overwatch fighter to join the tourney. But Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai has never publicly discussed the idea of an Overwatch DLC fighter. 

Olivia Richman Olivia Richman
About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile
Read Also
Here is what to expect from the thrilling upcoming Fury of Anubis slot release Slots
Here is what to expect from the thrilling upcoming Fury of Anubis slot release Hannan Mundia Pragmatic Play is preparing to launch the brand-new Fury of Anubis slot. It is set to be one of the most ambitious slot releases of 2026, and here’s everything slot enthusiasts can expect when it comes out. While a handful of themes really shine in the online slot world, the Egyptian theme is a standout. Some slots have gone on to become fan-favorites by incorporating this theme, and Pragmatic Play ...
Rainbet becomes Kick’s first official slot category sponsor Kick
Rainbet becomes Kick’s first official slot category sponsor Khizar Mundia In what has been a hugely busy few months for the Kick streaming platform — which included starting to test adverts — Rainbet has now been confirmed as a sponsor of the slot vertical. Following an initial backlash over ads, Kick co-founder Eddie Craven called adverts “inevitable” after roughly four years of the platform keeping the user experience clean. The livestreaming platform then saw one of its first ads on ...
We played BC.Game’s Crash and this is what we found News
We played BC.Game’s Crash and this is what we found Conn Mc Gillion Crash has fast become one of the most popular casino games around, with crypto casinos all over offering their version of it. The concept focuses on simplicity, and this is just part of its appeal. BC.Game's Crash is part of their Originals line-up and we recently spent some time playing it to understand exactly why the format works. To go with our BC.Game Crash review, we tried both gaming modes (classic ...
Trainwreckstv breaks record with $50 million win on Coins and Cauldrons Big Wins
Trainwreckstv breaks record with $50 million win on Coins and Cauldrons Hannan Mundia Trainwreckstv has been streaming online slots for years now, but nothing has been more impressive than his record-breaking $50 million Coins and Cauldrons win. Train proved once again why he’s one of the largest figures by making history. His recent win on Coins and Cauldrons had the streamer break his personal record, as well as a record in the online gambling scene, and it helped that the win was live ...
Betting on the World Cup: Top promos & bonus codes to use ahead of kick-off News
Betting on the World Cup: Top promos & bonus codes to use ahead of kick-off Ian John The 2026 World Cup starts on 11 June and 48 teams will start the biggest World Cup in history with the aim of succeeding Argentina as the newly crowned Champions of the world. As befitting the biggest sporting event of the year, many crypto World Cup betting sites are running a wide range of different promotions and offers especially for the tournament. Here we will be taking a closer look ...
Nintendo Direct June 2026: Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pokémon DLC, and more announced News
Nintendo Direct June 2026: Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pokémon DLC, and more announced Zachary Roberts After months of waiting, a real Nintendo Direct was announced for June 9, accompanied by a Treehouse Live afterward. There hasn't been one since August, which left the Nintendo Switch 2 pretty barren in terms of first-party titles. That changed with this stream. Here's everything that was announced. First up, the initial reveal at the June Nintendo Direct was Rhythm Heaven Groove. This was not a new revelation, as it ...
These are three of the best crypto casino apps at the moment News
These are three of the best crypto casino apps at the moment Conn Mc Gillion Crypto casinos have never been more popular, with advances in technology ensuring that there are tens of top brands available. We cover them thoroughly all across our site, but the issue is that many of these crypto casinos do not provide a dedicated mobile experiences for their players. In this guide, we're going to outline some of the best crypto casino apps that you can try out for yourself, looking ...