Despite not having a dedicated story mode in-game, Overwatch is known for its expanding lore and diverse roster of characters, who are fleshed out in comic books, animated shorts, and more. Some fans have grown quite attached to these characters, and they should know that it's possible Blizzard may kill one of them off one day.
This is according to game director Jeff Kaplan, who confirmed in an interview with Kotaku that the team at Blizzard argues over whether or not they can kill a character, and if they did, which character would be on the chopping block. However, if Overwatch does decide to kill off one of its characters one day, it may not have as serious consequences on the game as one might imagine.
As explained by Kaplan, if Overwatch did decide to kill off one of its characters, that character would still be playable.
“We will not remove a hero from the roster. No one has to worry about that.”
Whether or not Blizzard ever ends up killing off an Overwatch character remains to be seen, but if it happens, it won't be for awhile. Kaplan said that he thinks killing off any of the characters right now wouldn't mean much because they haven't had enough character development yet. Eventually, through animated shorts and story-based events like the Retribution mission, characters may be fleshed out enough so that their deaths would have a meaningful impact on the game world and community.
Then again, it's hard to see how the death of an Overwatch character could have that much impact if they remained playable in the game. Of course, it would be difficult for Blizzard to permanently remove a character from Overwatch without facing severe backlash from the community, especially since some fans have undoubtedly purchased loot boxes with real money just to obtain some unique skins or other cosmetic items for their favorite character.
Regardless of whether or not Overwatch eventually kills off one of its characters, fans don't have to worry about that character being removed from the game. In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how Overwatch's lore continues to expand moving forward.
Overwatch is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Kotaku