In 2016, the video game industry saw one of the biggest releases in recent history: Overwatch. The Activision Blizzard title promises an extensive universe both in gameplay and in the story surrounding well-known characters that will surely captivate the public, including before it came out.
The title marked a before and after both for the video game itself and for a market that, at that time, was beginning to stand out: esports. But, after almost 6 years on the market -a relatively short time for this type of title-, this October 3 Overwatch closes its doors.
Today will be the last day that the few remaining players can enjoy it. The reason? The arrival of a second part that, for the community, represents a late solution and that breaks with the original idea of keeping it for years.
A Pixar-style universe
One of the main areas of Overwatch, sometimes in terms of the market, will provide an unprecedented outlet where there has been a "transmedia" launch. Blizzard not only limited itself to the game, which brought with it some ideas that were very attractive to the public such as free DLC, but wanted to create a universe around it.
Proof of this were the premieres of the 'Shorts': animated shorts inspired by Pixar that the company broadcasts live as if it were a classic fiction series. These not only featured the "heroes" who would star in the game, but also showcased their personalities, fears, and history.
Alongside the shorts and the game itself, Blizzard also published various comics and books to help build the lore surrounding the title. Even the company itself admitted that it had plans to release a film, an idea that, over the years, was forgotten.
The "new" genre
The 'hero shooter' their shooting titles where there are different types of characters and that goes back to classics like Battlefield, where we could choose between different soldiers depending on their role (doctor, infantry, etc.).
But it wasn't until 2014, with the announcement of Overwatch -and an overshadowed Battleborn- that this subgenre acquired the meaning it has now: competitive shooting games in which the characters have their own story, skills, and levels.
Blizzard also planted a game in which collaboration took precedence over results. Faced with the trend of other titles where the most skilled player was rewarded, Overtwatch proposed a format where the team shares the statistics and achievements obtained during the game, promoting joint work.
The end of the story
When the game hit the market in October 2016, it took the market by storm. As a preliminary, according to data then shared by Blizzard itself, 9.7 million people connected to play. A number that, with the second part of the game, they have preferred not to share.
The game seemed to be ready to be "one" of the titles that, for years, accompany players such as World of Warcrat, League of Legends or DOTA2, which have been on the front line for more than a decade.
An idea that appeared very little. Many poor decisions by Blizzard led to the game dropping in player and viewer numbers.
In 2020, the year of the pandemic, all top-tier e-porter competitions saw their viewership numbers swell, including up to 70% more viewers, as people were forced to spend more time at home. The Overwatch League, on the other hand, saw 60% of its audience lose.
We're celebrating our transition to the next chapter with #SeeYouOnTheOtherSide! Use the hashtag to share your favorite Overwatch 1 memories and get excited about what the future holds! 🎉
Game highlights, your favorite cinematic, a funny story - we want to see it all 👀
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) October 2, 2022
Something logical since a year before Blizzard already gave Overwatch for dead. In 2019, just three years after its launch, the company announced the second part. Although in principle they assured that both titles would coexist, the reality is that today, October 3, the original game says goodbye to leave only its sequel.
Since then, the game has gone up and down and, although it sees better numbers, it fails to attract the number of people that it attracted at the beginning of its life. Early on, during the Overwatch 2 beta, Twitch viewership dropped to 99% seven days after it started.
