So What is Blizzard's Plan?

If you're even remotely involved in the world of gaming then you had to spend the better half of last year hearing people talk about Overwatch. I remember just from the demo alone people were hyping it up like it was the most important event to happen to gaming since those original two white lines bounced a square to each other. And you know what? It's fine. Now to be fair, I knew going into it Overwatch was never going to be a game meant for someone like me. Multiplayer-only first person shooters with plans to update the game over the course of several years? Not my thing. I like my single player story based games that I buy as a complete package. That being said I still pop the game in every so often and it makes for fun 5 minute distractions at a time until I come to realise "Is this it?". Even though I went about 4 months without playing it and had to wait several hours for the update to install (Thanks for nothing Playstation Network) I still don't see what it is exactly that this game has to offer.

But there is one aspect of the Overwatch franchise that has really stuck out to me, the story. Now that might not make sense, it's a multiplayer game, there is no story, but that's not true. The game opens up with a cutscene explaining the basic plot, every character has their own backstory and interpersonal relationships with each other that is explored in free comics and animated shorts on YouTube and honestly they make the series so much more interesting, seriously, just go watch Bastion's backstory, it's beautiful. With all of this in mind, the detailed backstory, the rich and unique characters, the gorgeously done animation, this is a lot of effort for things that aren't actually part of the game, so I have to ask, what is Blizzard's plan? Was this originally supposed to be an animated series but plans changed and they made it a game? Or is this all Blizzard's way of introducing us to these characters and bringing a proper show/film at some point in the future? Or are these all just bonus details to act as little winks to the audience? Honestly, probably that last one. Say what you want about Blizzard's games, but they know their audience, and always look out for them. Hell, shortly after announcing Overwatch, they released detailed images of their characters, specifically to help cosplayers make accurate recreations, they even had professional cosplayers in uniform before the game was even out!

I just hope there is more to this franchise than just new maps, because I want to know about these characters, I want to see them interact more, see the drama, the relationships, the action, the development. A story mode, an animated series, just...gimme something Blizzard, don't waste this!

-Danny