Overwatch is one of the most successful and highly visible team shooters of all time, though it’s been struggling to hold on to its crown in recent years. In fact, many would argue that Overwatch has lost its title as the king of PvP hero shooters in the wake of breakout competitors like Marvel Rivals, which may prompt Blizzard to copy those games’ homework, as it were.
This would be a reasonable path for the IP to take: Marvel Rivals has turned out to be a bigger hit than many could have imagined, possibly even poaching a significant portion of Overwatch‘s playerbase. There are myriad potential explanations for Rivals‘ success compared to Overwatch, including the unstoppable relevance of the Marvel brand and Overwatch 2‘s controversial departures from its predecessor’s formula. Whatever the reason for Marvel Rivals‘ popularity in the face of Overwatch‘s degradation, it’s clear that the latter needs to bring out the big guns if it wants to stay competitive down the road. But it’s not Marvel Rivals that Overwatch ought to emulate.
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Overwatch’s Take On Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Could Be a Boon
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Helped Cyberpunk 2077 Immeasurably
Released in 2022, the first season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners couldn’t have come at a better time. Cyberpunk 2077 was definitely on the upswing at that time, having been repaired through innumerable patches and eventually grasping back a bit of good will from players; but its troublesome launch hung over it like a pall, and many gamers were still steering clear of it, left with a bad taste in their mouths—this was before Phantom Liberty and the 2.0 patch helped Cyberpunk claw back its dignity, after all.
But Edgerunners offered something that the patches, however positive, couldn’t: an emotional connection to the Cyberpunk 2077 world. Taking place in Night City shortly before the events of the game, Edgerunners was able to demonstrate the charm, vivacity, and depth of the Cyberpunk lore, shining a light on the most unique Night City denizens and social conflicts. The story of Cyberpunk 2077 is good on its own, but it was overshadowed by its myriad bugs and performance issues, not to mention the overall air of negativity surrounding the product; Edgerunners had no such drawbacks, and could thus serve as an entertaining and informative piece of Cyberpunk content with no strings attached. And, of course, the success of the show drove more players to the game, strengthening the brand as a whole. Overwatch ought to pull the same trick.
An Overwatch Animated Series Is a No-Brainer
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners might have helped Cyberpunk 2077‘s reputation and popularity, but it’s not like just any video game can benefit from a tie-in show in the same way. Edgerunners works as well as it does, not only because it’s well-crafted, but also because its source material is so full of potential. Luckily, these traits are shared by Overwatch.
For a multiplayer shooter, Overwatch is surprisingly dense on the lore and character-writing fronts. Since the first game’s release in 2016, there have been several animated shorts highlighting the personalities and backstories of the series’ principal characters, which have aided in making the franchise more emotionally resonant with audiences. Considering this rich cast of characters, and the precedent set by Blizzard’s animated shorts, a more structured television series featuring these characters or simply set in the same world, would be an undeniably tantalizing prospect for many fans, and could even help attract new ones.
Overwatch 2
6/10
- Released
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August 10, 2023
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Engine
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Proprietary Engine
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