Overwatch (2016 video game)Overwatch (retroactively referred to as Overwatch Classic) was a 2016 live servicemultiplayerfirst-person shooter video game by Blizzard Entertainment. The game was first released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in May 2016 and Nintendo Switch in October 2019, with cross-platform play supported across all platforms.
Overwatch animated mediaOverwatch is a series of shorts published by Blizzard Entertainment and released in YouTube in 2016, several computer-generated cinematic trailers and teasers are made, as well as animated short films, to promote and develop the story for their 2016 first-person shooter video game, Overwatch. The shorts have been met with positive reception from fans and online publications alike.
Overwatch (digital comic series)Overwatch is a digital comic series published online by Blizzard Entertainment and republished by Dark Horse Comics, featuring events surrounding the characters of the Overwatch universe. It was published between April 2016 and April 2018. 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.
Overwatch ContendersOverwatch Contenders (OWC) was an international esports league for the video game Overwatch organized by Blizzard Entertainment. The series acts as the development league for aspiring Overwatch League (OWL) professionals. Founded in 2017, Contenders was created in part to consolidate existing regional tournaments into a structure to support the Overwatch League, including the Overwatch Apex tournament, Overwatch Premier Series, and Overwatch Pacific Championship.
Overwatch and pornographyBlizzard Entertainment's Overwatch video game franchise inspired a notable amount of fan-made pornography. The games' distinct and colorful character designs drew the attention of many online content creators, resulting in sexually explicit fanart. Character models were ripped from the beta versions of the game and subsequently spread, edited, and animated on the Internet.
Overwatch LeagueThe Overwatch League (OWL) was a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch and its sequel Overwatch 2, produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. From 2018 to 2023, the Overwatch League followed the model of other traditional North American professional sporting leagues by using a set of permanent, city-based teams backed by separate ownership groups.
Blizzard EntertainmentAmerican video game publisher and developerBlizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California, and a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. Originally founded in 1991, the company is best known for producing the highly influential massively multiplayer online role-playing gameWorld of Warcraft (2004) as well as the multi million-selling video game franchises Diablo,StarCraft, and Overwatch.Overwatch World CupThe Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) is an annual international Overwatch esports tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer. Unlike other Overwatch tournaments, the World Cup is contested by national teams representing their respective countries. The tournament ran annually from 2016 to 2019, after which it returned in 2023 and 2026.
Hero shooterVideo game genre Heroes in Overwatch each have a distinct playstyle, role and personality. Heroes (left-right): Mercy, Tracer, Reinhardt, Sojourn, Brigitte A hero shooter is a subgenre of shooter games which emphasize "hero" characters that have distinctive abilities and/or weapons that are specific to them. This type of gameplay encourages players to choose heroes based on their strengths and the role they play in the team's overall strategy.Transmedia storytellingTransmedia storytelling (also known as transmedia narrative or multiplatform storytelling) is the technique of adapting a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies.
First-person shooterA first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game focused on weapon-based combat seen from a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through the eyes of the main character. This genre shares multiple common traits with other shooter games, and in turn falls under the action games category.
CosplayType of performance artCosplayers at Yukicon 2014, a fan convention in FinlandThree cosplayers at the Comic Con in Long Beach 2014, representing James T. Kirk (Star Trek), the superheroine Wonder Woman (DC Universe), and supervillainLoki (Marvel Universe)A cosplay (a portmanteau of "costume play") is the activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character.Overwatch (2023 video game)Overwatch (initially released as Overwatch 2) is a 2023 first-person hero shooter video game by Blizzard Entertainment. As a sequel and replacement to the original 2016 Overwatch, the game includes new game modes and a reduction in team size from six to five. The game is free-to-play on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and features full cross-platform play.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.