Monday, November 16, 2015

Why 'Overwatch' is Blizzard's riskiest game yet



Blizzard is known primarily as a developer of strategy games and MMORPGs. Recent years have seen it expand those boundaries though, with MOBA Heroes of the Storm and trading card game Hearthstone. Those are spin-offs or remixes of existing titles though -- next spring, the studio launches Overwatch, its first completely new franchise in nearly two decades.

The game sees Blizzard stepping into new territory, conceptually and literally -- a multiplayer arena shooter filled with 21 original characters, each with distinct superpowers and taking place in the real world. Along with being an all new gaming genre for the company, it's also targeting console players and PC gamers alike from launch.

WIRED speaks with senior game designers Michael Chu and Jeremy Craig on the project's creation, how to balance a shooter with nearly two dozen characters, and how the team is using comics and animation to explore the backstory of the Overwatch universe.

By: Matt Kamen,

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