Wargaming's World of Warships is returning for a second round of Blue Archive collaboration content, building on last year's efforts. While the first collaboration was limited to slapping some camouflage on existing vessels, this second outing is far more ambitious. New warships inspired by Blue Archive’s Total Assault bosses and iconic ships—including Binah, the hovercraft, and the Utnapishtim—are setting sail. Even Arona’s adorable mascot whale makes an appearance as a submarine.

It doesn’t stop there. Along with the new ships, a fresh crew of commanders is reporting for duty. Wakamo Kosaka, who fled in a hovercraft; Maki Konuri, a staple of the Binah raid; and Yuuka Hayase, a key crew member of the Utnapishtim, are joining as commanders. Arona is also stepping up to lead the fleet.

Product Manager Namgung Wan, who led this collaboration, admitted that the team wanted to iron out the creases from the first attempt. Being both a Wargaming manager and a dedicated Blue Archive fan, Namgung Wan was uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between the two titles, working closely with Nexon to ensure the collaboration hit the right marks.

This is exactly why the decision was made to build ships based on sea-related elements from Blue Archive. As Namgung Wan explained, "We wanted it to feel like a true meeting of the high seas between World of Warships and Blue Archive, so we focused on ship-themed content from the game and paired them with the most fitting characters as commanders."

The hovercraft is a vessel by nature, and the Utnapishtim is essentially a space battleship. Meanwhile, Binah fits the bill of a colossal sea monster, and Arona’s whale feels right at home in the water. Namgung Wan added, "Binah felt like a natural fit for the ocean. As for the whale, there are Hoshino and Arona versions, but since Hoshino’s content was featured in the first round, we opted for Arona this time."

These ships are packed with details from the source material. Namgung Wan noted, "The hovercraft emits pink smoke when firing its guns, a nod to Wakamo. The Utnapishtim features blue particle effects when launching, reflecting its status as a space battleship. Binah’s exhaust vents glow when on fire, and Arona’s whale features a glowing blue light along the hull. I highly recommend taking them out for a spin at night rather than during the day."

This is the first time the team has developed entirely new ship models for a collaboration. Given that World of Warships prides itself on historical accuracy and WWII-era naval combat, integrating the fictional, academy-city vibes of Blue Archive required a careful balancing act to keep the player base on board.

Namgung Wan revealed the design hurdles: "The hovercraft has these massive fans. We initially thought about having them spin like engines at the back, but that’s not how ships work, and it didn't align with the historical aesthetic. Instead, we mounted the fans on each of the guns. For Binah, we really wanted to capture that face. Having it protrude from the bow felt the most impactful. We toyed with the idea of it firing lasers, but decided that was a bit too sci-fi for a WWII destroyer."

The Wargaming development team also injected their own creative flair. Namgung Wan shared, "There’s a small hovercraft model on top of the main hovercraft ship, and a plushie version of the whale on Arona’s submarine." They even went as far as texturing the Utnapishtim to look like it was covered in the sands of the Abydos desert.

Why go through the trouble of building new models from scratch? Namgung Wan explained, "The biggest feedback from both the players and myself during the first round was the lack of unique ship models. We wanted to make sure this didn't feel tacked on, hence the 'sea-meets-sea' theme."

The four new commanders—Wakamo, Maki, Yuuka, and Arona—come fully voiced. Namgung Wan confirmed, "We brought in the original Japanese voice actors to record every command, with each character getting between 130 and 150 lines. While we know there are Korean voice options, we stuck to the Japanese audio to maintain consistency with the first collaboration."

The collaboration will be available on PC from July 10th to August 7th, and on the console version, World of Warships: Legends, from August 11th to September 8th. There are minor differences; for instance, the Arona ship and commander are exclusive to PC because Legends currently lacks submarines. Legends will also feature specific traits and skills tied to the Blue Archive commanders.

Content can be purchased individually or via loot boxes that include a 'pity' system to guarantee items after a certain number of pulls. Players who complete the event missions will also unlock a special Blue Archive camouflage compatible with all ships. Namgung Wan mentioned, "We wanted to capture that fresh, blue, and clean aesthetic that defines the Blue Archive brand."

Wrapping up, Namgung Wan hopes this collaboration resonates with fans of both games. "We put a lot of work into the first one, but we truly went all out for this second round. We hope both the commanders and the 'Senseis' enjoy the content."