The upcoming Strike Force 2 crossover event celebrates World of Warcraft’s 20th anniversary and will turn some of the shooter’s iconic heroes into iconic heroes (and villains) in Blizzard’s MMORPG.
The crossover trailer takes viewers on a roller-coaster ride through the Blizzard world map of Strike Force, as characters like Reinhardt (dressed as the Lich King) and Widowmaker (as Shyvana) launch attacks. While actual details of the event remain scarce ahead of its September 17 debut, the trailer shows off World of Warcraft-themed skins for the aforementioned heroes as well as Zenyatta (who plays Thrall) and Torbjörn (who plays Magni Bronzebeard) .
As part of the event, Blizzard said players will be able to choose to represent World of Warcraft’s two main factions: Horde or Alliance.
“Join the festivities as Strike Force 2 and World of Warcraft unite the realms to create a legendary crossover event,” the trailer’s description reads. “Choose to represent the Horde or the Alliance, and Strike Force 2 ‘s powerful heroes will pay homage to iconic characters from the world of Azeroth.”
It is worth noting that this is not the first time that World of Warcraft-themed skins have appeared in “Strike”, nor is it the first time that Blizzard’s shooting game has crossed over with other Blizzard works. Transform Doomfist into a skin for the orc warchief Blackhand, Genji’s Illidan Stormrage skin, and two skins for Symetra (one turning her into a blood elf, the other into the night elf leader Ty Rand Whisperwind), previously released. Torbjorn also already has an existing Magni Bronzebeard skin, but the new skin seen in the trailer shows his diamond “Speaker of Azeroth” form.
The final Blizzard tie-in game of “Strike” is themed to “Diablo 4” and introduces a new PvE game mode, where players can collect power-ups to fight Azmodan Wrecking Ball, Roadhog Butcher and Lilith Moira and other enemies.
As for how World of Warcraft itself is celebrating its 20th birthday, Blizzard has announced that it will release a 20th Anniversary update for the game later this year, filled with activities and rewards dating back to the MMO’s early days. At the same time, “Strike 2” recently launched the latest auxiliary hero Juno.
