Dive deeper into the origins of Blizzard’s Overwatch

With Overwatch due to launch May 24th, there will be questions about the origins of the Overwatch heroes and universe. Why does Winston get so angry if his glasses are broken? What is the true identity of Soldier 76? And why does D.Va seem to be sponsored by Blizzard in the game?

These are some of the questions that hopefully will be answered in the coming months, when Blizzard is set to release their series of short animated films and digital comics set in the Overwatch universe. There is also a novel planned for later down the road.

The first animated short will revolve around Winston, the genetically enhanced gorilla. It will tell the story of a scientist battling with the idea of recalling the Overwatch heroes while his lab is under attack. This short will be available on March 21st at 12 p.m. PDT, and it can be viewed on Xbox.com. 

Blizzard also has a 6-issue comic series lined up, with the first focusing on the gunslinger McCree.  Other heroes that will be highlighted by the series include Reinhardt (the knight who lives by the code of justice, valor, and courage), as well as the crime duo of Roadhog and Junkrat.  The cover for the first comic can be seen below.

Rounding out Blizzard’s extended universe releases for Overwatch will be a novel titled Overwatch: First Strike. This book will take place decades before the time period of the game and focus on the battle of the robots uprising.  The novel will be written by Blizzard’s lead writer in publishing and story lead for Hearthstone, Micky Neilson.

With Blizzard doing so much to bring gamers into the universe of Overwatch, it will give more insight into why these heroes are fighting.  

So what do you think of all these extras from the Overwatch franchise?  What hero would you like to see Blizzard focus on in the future? Let me know in the comments below.