PUBG Mobile’s Neon Genesis Evangelion Crossover Is Plain Weird

It’s unsurprising that PUBG Mobile is also overwhelmingly lucrative and, as such, this isn’t its first crossover. But while it’s not so weird to imagine characters like Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji Itadori and League of Legends’ Jinx getting down in their free time, Neon Genesis Evangelion isn’t that kind of story. I feel like an elitist party pooper just writing that, but it’s true.

For example—and this is a massive spoiler, but it’s been almost 30 years since Neon Genesis Evangelion first debuted so you can deal with it—the purple robot popping and locking in the GIF at the top of this blog is literally the main character’s mom, whose immortal soul powers the gigantic construct after an experiment gone horribly wrong. Not exactly a cause for celebration!

I don’t know how much I can say about the scourge of crossovers that I haven’t already said before. I understand why they happen, of course. The financial incentive of bringing fans of other properties into the fold and selling them loot boxes for the chance of playing as their favorite characters is likely too profitable to ignore. The strategy just always results in the same lame, cookie-cutter product.

It’s a sad reality that, outside of Super Smash Bros., collabs don’t honor the spirit of the source material, opting for Mad Libs-style proper noun plug-ins that result in tragic figures krumping on advertisement-laden main menus. I may just be an old man yelling at clouds, unable to let people enjoy things, but I think there’s still a comfortable middle ground to discover between boorish cash-grab and respectful homage.

And if any game has enough money to explore that uncharted wilderness, it’s certainly PUBG Mobile.