In a remarkable show of support, the 2024 Mercy for a Cause campaign in Overwatch 2 has successfully raised a staggering $12.3 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). This incredible achievement brings the total contributions from Overwatch games to over $25 million since they began supporting BCRF in 2018.
The original push towards this noble cause started in May 2018 when Overwatch launched a limited-time event featuring a $14.99 Pink Mercy skin, with all sales benefiting the New York-based nonprofit. Fast forward six years, and the Pink Mercy skin made a triumphant return in Overwatch 2. Players had the chance to grab it once more between June 25 and July 8, 2024, as part of the Mercy for a Cause initiative.
The second time around, the event was greeted with incredible generosity from the gaming community, raising $12.3 million just as Overwatch 2’s Season 11 was kicking off. Blizzard President Johanna Faries expressed her gratitude to the community through a statement shared with Game Rant, thanking participants for their role in a cause that’s making a real impact in the fight against breast cancer. Donna McKay, the President and CEO of BCRF, was profoundly grateful for the campaign’s success, noting that these funds are crucial for pioneering research necessary to end breast cancer.
Overwatch now holds the distinction of having earned the two largest single corporate donations ever given to the BCRF. While Mercy for a Cause didn’t quite eclipse the $12.7 million raised by its predecessor in 2018, Blizzard’s cumulative $25 million donation remains a monumental contribution. During the recent fundraising efforts, Overwatch 2 players could also purchase the Rose Gold Mercy Bundle. Priced at $20, this bundle featured another exclusive Mercy skin, and came packed with new player icons, sprays, and name cards inspired by popular figures Angela Ziegler and Dani Ellis, along with a special Heroic Weapon Skin for Mercy.
Since its inception in 2018, some items from the original event, like sprays and Twitch emotes, did not return as part of the 2024 event, leading to the assumption that several of the Overwatch 2 cosmetics featured this year might also be exclusives.
Blizzard and BCRF plan to announce the specific research projects that will benefit from the recent donations in the upcoming months, likely by early 2025. Funds from the 2018 campaign were aimed at advancing technologies like AI-based mammogram analysis for more accurate breast cancer risk assessments and developing predictive models to identify the likelihood of triple-negative breast cancer, among other initiatives.
Overwatch 2 keeps players engaged as a dynamic, free-to-play, team-driven action game set in a hopeful future. With its 5v5 matches, players can unleash the full power of characters like Sojourn with her railgun, or command attention as Junker Queen. The game brings fresh gameplay with new modes like Push Mode, where teams battle to gain control of a robot and guide it to the enemy base. With iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo, and Rio, and regular updates that introduce new challenges, Overwatch 2 continuously offers something fresh for its vast player base to enjoy.
