Even though there is no Overwatch sequel on Blizzard’s horizon, the developer is planning on getting the game’s lore moving along soon.
There is some disparity between the growth of Overwatch’s hero roster and that of its lore. Blizzard continues to consistently add new heroes to the game, while being somewhat stagnant on the story and lore end of things.
Overwatch is currently celebrating its second anniversary with an event that brings back a ton of old content that has helped expand the game’s story over the years. Past events have added some spice to the repetition of Overwatch’s six vs. six gameplay. These events usually each come with lore of their own that help fill in the pages of Overwatch’s story.
Despite this, in its two years of existence Overwatch’s lore has barely grown at all compared to other games the same age. The stories that come along with the events are good ones, but eventually the story will have to move on from the past.
It’s cool to learn about different heroes’ backgrounds via these events, but wouldn’t it be even cooler to learn about the characters and Overwatch in a more active sense?
Overwatch lead writer Michael Chu told the Overwatch Wire that Blizzard will, in fact, begin “telling stories that are closer to the present day.” However, Chu also explained why the team gravitates toward stories from the past.
“But we’re likely to also still do some stories that show the past,” Chu said. “There’s just a lot of interesting things. Like I said earlier, we like to focus on stories we think are the most interesting, excite us, and reveal something about a character.”
I mean, he’s not wrong. It is interesting to learn about Overwatch’s past, but at the same time Blizzard almost always teases that there is something more they’re not telling us. For example, Sombra’s involvement in Volskaya Industries, Orisa’s evolution in the world, and Doomfist’s adventures following the prison break are all loose ends that Blizzard has created with their stories from the past.
It would be just as fascinating to learn about the ends of these stories and beyond as it is to learn about Overwatch’s origins. And with a new hero added almost every three months, there will always be new stories to tell.
Since Blizzard doesn’t intend to make an Overwatch sequel any time soon, it’s left to the developer to push the lore along with the game they already have.