Can you get Genji Oni skin in Overwatch 2?

As a Genji main myself, I was crestfallen to confirm that his awesome Oni skin from the Nexus Challenge promotion is sadly unobtainable in the Overwatch 2 upgrade. While most event skins carry over, limited-time cross-promotional ones like Oni Genji and BlizzCon rewards haven‘t made the jump.

But it‘s not all bad news, cyborg ninja fans! Let‘s delve into exactly what you can unlock for Genji and other heroes in OW2 to make your collection legendary.

The Fate of Overwatch 1 Skins after the Switch

According to data mined by players shortly after October 4th‘s launch, Overwatch 2 will preserve access to 99% of existing Epic-tier and Legendary skins from the original. That amounts to over 600 cosmetics items per hero even before the new additions! Even the rare Holiday seasonal skins not currently active will be waiting in your Hero Gallery.

The exceptions are linked to limited fundraising events (e.g. Pink Mercy) or one-off promotions with other games, like the Oni skin awarded for playing Heroes of the Storm.

So the hundreds of Anniversary, Halloween Terror, Winter Wonderland and other event skins you‘ve unlocked over the years remain available for use in OW2‘s 6v6 skirmishes or fresh PvE missions.

Pathways for Building Your OW2 Skin Collection

• Daily/Weekly Challenges
• Battle Pass Rewards
• Playing Matches to Earn Credits/Coins

Let‘s explore these acquisition methods so you can grow your personal armory.

Finishing Challenges – Slow but Steady Income

By checking the Challenge slots under Career Profile daily, you can complete up to 10 tasks like "Get 25 Eliminations" or "Win 3 Games in Quick Play". This banks you 1500 credits weekly for purchasing the exact Legendary-grade cosmetics you crave from the Hero Gallery.

It may take 2 weeks of maxing challenges to afford one of the best-quality skins, but with 42 heroes on the roster you‘ll fill out their alternate looks slowly yet surely over time as a free player.

Purchasing Battle Passes to Speed Up Rewards

Forking over $10 every 9 weeks for the premium Battle Pass accelerates skin collecting tremendously thanks to the following perks:

• Immediate access to a new Legendary Mythic skin upon purchase
• 20% XP boost to tier up faster
• 60 additional skins across Epic, Legendary and lower grades as you progress

Based on projections from completion times, you can reliably unlock the Genji Mythic Cyber Demon variant and roughly 6 to 8 Legendary-tier skins per 60-80 day Battle Pass season.

That comes out to over 70 coveted skins annually – no idle grinding required! Paying does offer advantages that put building a complete catalogue well within reach.

Grinding Matches for Coins/Credits

You also passively generate Credits and the newer Overwatch Coins currency from completing matches. The payout amounts actually increased since the transition to prevent completely locking heroes behind a paywall:

So stringing together wins is obviously the superior path for income if you intend to play extensively without spending money. Based on the payout schedule, you‘d need 300 wins in Competitive mode to afford a single Legendary skin from accumulated Credits alone.

Consider it a nice value-add to playing intensely over time rather than the primary approach. Dedicated grinding will unlock an Epic-tier skin every 3 weeks or so.

What Does the Future Hold for Skins?

Gaming industry analysts actually expect the introduction of brand collaborations now that Overwatch operates under a free-to-play model with monetization built around cosmetics.

"Major brands have shied away from paying for exposure in the past with upfront-priced games, but the F2P shift completely changes the calculus," writes industry insider Zhongli Jade on skins as a revenue driver going forward. "We anticipate announcements of IP crossovers to attract casual players through the sheer novelty and expanded audience."

I concur skins themed around other prominent titles or multi-media properties would shake up design possibilities. Perhaps an Assassin‘s Creed-inspired hooded armor set for Genji similar to Oni but with cleaner lines?

Or given he‘s already part-omnic, a Deus Ex skin embracing the cyberpunk aesthetic even more could be amazing. The craftsmanship of Legendary skins only improves over time as well so we have stunning cosmetics ahead!

Now let‘s overview how collecting for other popular Damage heroes compares…

At launch, Genji unfortunately loses his Oni skin and offsets the Cyber Demon Battle Pass exclusive reward with the absence of non-Mythic Legendary skins to pursue.

Sombra already rocks an incredible cybug outfit; Reaper is blessed by Gothic and Plague Doctor dark themes. So I do ponder when the next mindblowing cosmetic finally elevates my beloved Genji to their design heights once more.

Yet I have faith the artists will draw from Japanese folktales or sleek, futuristic aesthetics to recapture the magic for his next skin whenever it may come. Consider me first in line to snag that unannounced rarity sure to impress the Overwatch community at large.

To all fellow Shimada devotees out there: we must stand resolute in awaiting the next transcendent cosmetic that does our cyborg ninja justice! The skin will come in due time if we dedicate ourselves to mastering Genji across countless games, never wavering or switching mains temporarily because another DPS is "stronger meta" or has better cosmetics for now.

The strength was within us all along through deflecting projectiles and Dragonblade dash resets that turn the tides of seemingly lost teamfights!