Snapchat is best known for selfie filters and group messages, but its developers are partnering with Blizzard for a new content initiative. Overwatch will be coming to Snapchat via a new weekly feature called “Overwatch Comics.”
These Overwatch comics will draw from the existing archive of comics created and published, but will use Madefire’s animation technology to be a little more dynamic and action-oriented. These comics will premiere on July 18 on Snapchat’s Discover page.
“Overwatch Comics” will launch with two comics: Train Hopper, starring McCree, and Dragon Slayer, with Reinhardt and Brigitte. Successive comics will launch weekly. These comics originally debuted in 2016, and they were later collected in the Overwatch anthology, which released in 2017. Madefire has released “Motion Books” of Overwatch comics in the past; ten of the comics were released through the Battle.net client.
These Madefire collaborations will be made exclusively for Snapchat; Overwatch is the first title in a series of “content offerings with further game-based content.”
This opens a new possibility for future Overwatch content after a period of dormancy. We’ve started receiving short stories based around Overwatch characters. The first, Bastet, released in January. The second, Reunion, launched in June. These short stories are one of the biggest ways that Blizzard has expanded the lore of Overwatch, along with cinematics and their line of comics.
Blizzard has released a full volume of 12 comics to date; a second volume started with Masquerade, released in July 2017. The most recent lore comic we’ve received was Retribution, in April 2018. It appears Blizzard is looking for more ways to share its comics, and this collaboration with Snapchat may be a way to distribute Overwatch lore through mobile devices. While fans wait for BlizzCon 2019 in November, this may be a good way to revisit the previous stories of Overwatch and speculate what — or who — may be next.
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