Earlier this year Blizzard announced plans to expand the Overwatch universe with a graphic novel called Overwatch: First Strike, one that would dive into the stories of various characters before the game, however, Lead Writer Michael Chu has revealed a change of plans on Battle.net.
"I wanted to let you know that we have decided to cancel the release of the Overwatch: First Strike graphic novel," the post reads. "While we are grateful to the team for the fantastic work they put into it, we've ultimately decided to take the story in a different direction."
"The original idea for the graphic novel dates back to the early days of the game's development and came from our desire to tell the story of the founding of Overwatch during the Omnic Crisis. In the years since First Strike's conception, we have done a lot of development on the universe and its stories. While the core of this story remains, we have changed and expanded upon how we see the events that took place during the first days of Overwatch."
"So for now the early adventures of Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison, Ana Amari, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Torbjörn Lindholm (and more!) wait for another day. But we know that this is a story that you are excited about, and it's one we still plan to tell."
"I'd like to thank everyone for the enthusiasm, passion, and support you've shown towards the Overwatch universe. We have a number of stories in development that will delve deeper into the world and its heroes, and we can't wait to share them with you in the coming months."
It doesn't seem as if all hope is lost, then, but that the plans are being put on hold for the foreseeable future. Are you disappointed by the news?