Overwatch 2's PvP has finally been released and is seeing an enormous surge of active players. On October 14, Blizzard announced that Overwatch 2 had hit an impressive milestone of 25 million players in ten days which is a solid statistic in spite of the numerous connectivity issues, hero bugs, and lengthy queue times that initially plagued the game. With old players flooding back to the hero-shooter accompanied by new players, now is the perfect time for Blizzard to capitalize on this success by moving to new mediums.

Overwatch 2 doesn't need to be limited to just a video game format, especially since its predecessor wasn't. Of course, the sequel has already debuted its Junker Queen and Kiriko animated shorts, so it's fairly safe to assume that more is in development. However, with the brevity of these animations, Blizzard needs to consider an Overwatch TV series in order to fully satisfy its audience.

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It's Time for Overwatch to Expand

Overwatch Animated Shorts

It was rumored in 2017 that Blizzard was considering an Overwatch film after the former CEO of Activision Blizzard's Consumer Products Group, Tim Kiplin, expressed interest in one. Sadly, no film came about and further information was limited. It appeared that there was something in the works for a Diablo series on Netflix in 2018 which may still be happening, or it could be that both Blizzard and Netflix have completely abandoned it.

Of course, fans never gave up hope and the release of other Overwatch animated shorts, such as "Shooting Star" and "Reunion" kept most fans satiated. The excitement surrounding a potential show or film fully reignited after League of Legends' Netflix show Arcane received an Emmy, proving that with time and effort, adaptations of video game characters can be popular in mainstream media.

Not only did Arcane introduce several people to the world of Runeterra and many of its characters, but it also saw the League of Legends servers increase from 115 million active players to 180 million. Blizzard could do the same, after all, there's plenty of material to work from since the original Overwatch had several comic books, animated shorts, and merchandise released to market the game.

An Overwatch TV Series Has Plenty of Lore to Explore

Overwatch Animated Short Dragons - Hanzo

Who the television series would follow is a question that Blizzard would need to answer itself. It could be a series that follows different characters, perhaps like minis, but in a way that they all come together at the end such as in the cinematic "Zero Hour". The show has the option to be a prequel to the game's events, similar to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners or it could be set during the same period as Overwatch 2 around the years 2074 to 2076.

Many of the voice lines in Overwatch 2 reference events to these comics and cinematics, but since the PvE portion of Overwatch 2 isn't set to come out until 2023, Blizzard really could be doing more to expand the world of Overwatch. There's a risk that a show wouldn't do well, but it seems unlikely this would happen if they continue to maintain its Pixar-like quality of animation, talented voice actors, and diverse characters.

In the end, an Overwatch 2 television series would probably be extremely profitable while also acting as a medium to help fans understand more about Overwatch's unique cast of characters. Seeing Ana and Widowmaker's unsettling dynamic, Ashe and Cassidy's history, or what has become of Hanzo and Genji's relationship on TV would be a dream come true for many Overwatch 2 fans.

Many people at this point are probably wondering "when" this television show, or film, will be released, rather than "if". Timing in the gaming industry is everything and now could genuinely be the right moment for Blizzard to either release a television series or get one in development, with the game being so successful and Overwatch 2's PvE mode on the way.

Overwatch 2 is available now in early access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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