Overwatch (digital comic series)
| Overwatch | |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | April 2016–present |
| No. of issues | 12 |
| Main character(s) | Overwatch team |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | James Waugh |
| Written by |
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Overwatch is an American digital comic series published online by Blizzard Entertainment and republished by Dark Horse Comics' digital service, featuring events surrounding the characters of the Overwatch universe. The title was launched on April 21, 2016, and has continued to be published with no set schedule.
Blizzard uses the comic series, along with animated media, fictional news reports, and online character biographies, to develop the narrative of Overwatch, as the video game includes no traditional story or campaign mode.
Blizzard did not include a traditional campaign or story mode in the Overwatch video game. Instead, Blizzard opted to develop the story and lore of the Overwatch universe through a transmedia storytelling method, including animated shorts and comic titles.
On the approach to the storytelling, senior game designer Michael Chu, stated, "it was a solution that was born out of the kind of game we were making, because multiplayer shooter, obviously usually doesn't have a linear story. We had to think about other things, and we knew from day one that we wanted to make a significant Overwatch universe." Chu has also elaborated on how Blizzard decides which stories to tell through a comic format, stating, "every time we approach a story, very much like the skins, we have this backlog of story ideas, and hooks that we'd like to explore. We decide which ones we feel are the most exciting or make sense for the present. Like if we do a comic, comics are better for telling certain types of stories," adding, "we really decide what kind of story we want to tell, what's the story that we're going to tell, and then it's all about, lets figure out the best way to do this."
Blizzard announced they would release six digital comics prior to the game's May 24, 2016 release, in addition to a graphic novel titled Overwatch: First Strike, set for a release later in 2016.First Strike was later revealed to have a November 2016 digital release, in addition to an April 2017 hardcover release. On April 21, 2016, Train Hopper, headlining the cowboy character McCree, became the first Overwatch comic title released by Blizzard. This issue, as well as all subsequent issues of the comic title, were initially published and made freely available to download on comic.playoverwatch.com.
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