Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation announce a new edition of the successful “Mercy in Pink” campaign to support life-saving research.
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) and Overwatch 2 are teaming up to introduce “Become a Guardian Angel,” a campaign supporting BCRF’s mission to prevent and cure breast cancer.
In Overwatch 2, two limited edition skins will be released as part of this campaign between June 25 and July 8: the original Pink Mercy skin (for $15) and the new Rose Gold Mercy bundle (for $20).
One hundred percent of the purchase price (less applicable platform fees and taxes) will be donated to BCRF to support life-saving breast cancer research.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide.
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation has made tremendous strides in breast cancer prevention and treatment through strong partnerships, including its 2018 collaboration with Overwatch. The original collaboration between Overwatch and BCRF, which saw the pink Mercy available for sale for two weeks, was a huge hit with Overwatch players.
The campaign raised a remarkable $12.7 million to fund research and support important breakthroughs in breast cancer prevention. It was the largest donation in BCRF’s history. The donation enabled a wide range of research projects and clinical trials on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, metastasis and long-term survivor care. Today, the two organizations are once again ready to advance research further.
“Blizzard is pleased to partner with BCRF again to raise awareness and secure funding for this important mission,” said Johanna Faries, President of Blizzard Entertainment.
“Overwatch recently reached the milestone of 100 million total players and we hope our unparalleled community will come together again to support the BCRF’s vital work while showcasing these beautiful skins in-game.”
“Seven years ago, Overwatch began one of the gaming industry’s first benefit partnerships with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This innovation in the industry also reflects the innovation that BCRF is driving in research to cure breast cancer,” said BCRF President and CEO Donna McKay.
“Thanks to the unprecedented donations raised by passionate gamers in 2018, we were able to launch the first initiative to define personalized cancer prevention, the Precision Prevention Initiative (PPI). Today, we are at an important turning point as the incidence rate of breast cancer continues to rise and our work is not done. We are excited to rekindle this collaboration to work together to drive change and save lives.”
The aim of the BCRF’s Precision Prevention Initiative is:
- Precise prediction of breast cancer risk
- The earliest possible detection of breast cancer
- The development of early measures in addition to preventive surgical interventions
Thanks to donations from Overwatch, the initiative has already celebrated several successes since 2018:
- The development of advanced AI-assisted methods for mammography that can more accurately assess breast cancer risk compared to the standard method.
- Models that can more accurately predict the development of the most aggressive form of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer.
- The identification of drugs that can slow tumor formation in some patients.
- The development of a gene classification that can very precisely predict the risk of invasive breast cancer for patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early stage of breast cancer.
The aim of the BCRF initiative is to transfer the potential of precision medicine, i.e. the individualization of treatment, to the field of cancer prevention in order to stop breast cancer before it can form.
Each patient’s breast cancer and biology are unique, so BCRF is building toward a future where treatment plans can also be tailored to each individual case.
“If we can determine which patients are most at risk, we can develop tailored interventions for each patient. This will stop breast cancer in time,” said BCRF Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Dorraya El-Ashry.
“Overwatch’s support has helped us bring this vision to life, and Overwatch 2’s new campaign will help us take this work even further in 2024.”
For more information about Overwatch 2 and the fundraiser for breast cancer research, visit The blog.
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