As the digital dust settles from the premiere of the second episode of Genesis, the animated miniseries that explores the events that led up to Overwatch and its sequel, Overwatch 2, fans and critics alike are buzzing with excitement about what’s coming next. The latest entry, Innocence, does an excellent job following up on the first episode. It introduces us to Aurora, the first omnic to achieve sentience.
For six minutes of visual eye candy, we’re taken on an introspective journey, as Aurora questions her place in the world and in the grand scheme of things.
But, that’s not all. Innocence then free dives towards the brink of the now-infamous robot uprising – a transformation that’s initiated by the AI Anubis, who commandeers a factory to churn out war bots. This sets the stage for the formation of the iconic Overwatch group, the world’s strike force formed in response to the Omnic Crisis. If the glossy animation and well-paced storytelling weren’t enough to pull you in, the episode ropes in even more familiar faces from the original game, albeit much younger than they used to be.
While some may argue that Genesis relies heavily on exposition, the on-going series deserves commendation for the narrative perspective it offers. The rendering of the Overwatch lore from a unique point of view adds texture to an already rich backstory. However, a full-on interaction between the game heroes is a tantalizing prospect that is yet to materialize.
The Overwatch universe isn’t limited to the game, as is evident from the multimedia empire Blizzard has erected over the past decade. It spans a variety of animated shorts with their own complex continuity, of which Genesis is the latest addition.
If nothing else, it’s an excellent consolation prize for delaying the PvE content for Overwatch 2 to next year and charging a premium for it.
While video games have had a tumultuous relationship with cinematic adaptations in the past (remember the catastrophe that was Super Mario Bros. in 1993?), the landscape has shifted drastically in recent years. We have seen several successful video game adaptations make it big on the big screen and on the small screen. Most recently, HBO’s The Last of Us nearly led the way at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, earning the second-most nominations, giving it a high chance of being the first live-action adaptation of a video game to win at least one award from the prestigious event.
With Arcane winning Outstanding Individual Achievement In Animation at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, the future is bright for both animated and live-action adaptations of our favorite video games.
As for Overwatch 2, its sixth season, Invasion, islaunching on August 10. It marks a pivotal moment for the much-maligned hero shooters, introducing a slew of new features including paid co-op story missions, a free co-op event mission, a new PvP map type, a new support hero, and an overhauled player progression system. Additionally, single-player Hero Mastery training missions will be available later in the season.
With all these on the horizon, it’s undeniable that Overwatch is prepping to propel its narrative forward like never before. The only question is, will this work in changing the public perception of the game?
We don’t know the answer to that question yet. But, we can circle our calendars for July 20 for the launch of Episode 3 of the Overwatch 2 anime. After the cliffhanger ending of Episode 2 left fans hungry for more, the upcoming episode and imminent release of Season 6 should be enough to keep fans excited.
Blizzard Entertainment just can’t seem to stop itself from winning lately. While the launch of Overwatch 2 left much to be desired and the subsequent releases haven’t done it any favors, the success of Diablo 4 has more than made up for it. It’s also now believed that Blizzard is working on a third StarCraft entry, which, although unlikely, is enough to keep RTS die-hards speculating about what it could be. It remains to be seen if Blizzard intends to announce something big at BlizzCon in November, but at the very least, one of gaming’s most popular events is finally coming back after a years-long hiatus.
