Overwatch Fanbase Raises Concerns As the Team-Based Hero Shooter Loses Another Writer

Just a few months ago, Overwatch's lead writer Michael Chu left Blizzard, leaving the position open for other popular writers such as Alyssa Wong. Chu was celebrated for promoting LGBTQ+ stories in the game's lore such as introducing Tracer as a lesbian and the reveal of Soldier: 76's homosexuality, as well as portraying heroic Asian-Americans like Chu himself. When he announced his decision to leave back in March 2020, many fans looked to Alyssa Wong to carry on his work.

Best known for her piece "What You Left Behind" that featured the support hero Baptiste, she promoted inclusivity among characters, as well as story consistency throughout a game that focuses primarily on multiplayer battles. With the upcoming Overwatch 2, centered around the lore of the base game, fans are looking for a consistent and intriguing campaign. Although Wong only worked with Blizzard for two short years, her work brought about hope in players for a devoted story with plenty of character depth. 

On August 8, Wong revealed to Twitter that she had just finished her last day at Blizzard. Although no reasoning for her departure has been revealed as of yet, her announcement was accompanied by positive comments about the company, suggesting that the two parted on mutual or good terms. Either way, Blizzard's loss of one of their more devoted writers is leaving fans concerned about the future of Overwatch 2. 

Although the director of Overwatch Jeff Kaplan also supports similar ideals to Chu and Wong, many minority fans are begging the developers for more representative, well-written characters. These minority players saw hope in Chu and Wong after their first stories debuted, but with the departure of both writers some fans worry about Overwatch's focus on diversity in the future.

Despite this loss, some players have begun to point out that fans should not despair. Due to the complications within the video game industry during Coronavirus, Blizzard is likely facing similar difficulties as other companies. However, the writing cycle for Overwatch's upcoming sequel is likely complete, leaving the team to polish the gameplay and graphics. Therefore, players are hoping that Chu and Wong were able to participate in the writing process for Overwatch 2, finishing the story before they left Blizzard. Because of the loss of two major writers, any big writing or story changes are unlikely.

Due to Wong's compliments to the writing team of Overwatch 2 her excitement for the upcoming game, many fans are hopeful that her hard work will be retained when the sequel releases. Although there is still no official release date for Overwatch 2, it has been in the works for a few years and will likely release later in 2020 or in early 2021. 

Kieran Mouritsen 
Editor, NoobFeed