June is here and so too is Pride month, with a huge presence coming to the world of Overwatch 2.
In a Blizzard blog post, developers went in to detail about the inclusive world of Overwatch – explaining that the hopeful reality it represents is only possible if people can see themselves in that universe:
We want Pride to be that for our players. And just as important, we want that for ourselves. One thing we have heard from both players and Overwatch team members alike is that seeing themselves in the game over the years has helped them find the strength and courage to show the world who they are. We are a diverse development team and it’s important to us that the universe we are creating–the world that we pour our passion and energy into–represents us, and represents a world that we want to be a part of. The work that we are putting in front of the world is an extension of ourselves.
The Overwatch Team also announced that the Blizzard Gear Store now stocks a range of Pride-relevant items, with sales from those items financially supporting the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE).
We also get a smashing new in-universe story with one of my favourite characters, Baptiste – sharing some of his innermost thoughts on the turmoil of coming to Overwatch from Talon. It’s a fantastic piece that talks about the many facets of identity; both from a morality standpoint and a personal one.
The transformation that takes place within familiar maps is awesome – with flags and signage updated to reflect the event, splashes of vibrant colour and the aftermath of what was clearly an epic celebration. Rather than being a simple gameplay experience, the recognition is more akin to something like a winter event covering everything in snow.
Brilliantly, all players that open the game now and in the future will receive a full range of cosmetics that can be leveraged for personal identity within the games profile centre – offering a huge gamut of Player Icons and Banners that both recognise our own universe and that of Overwatch 2.
It’s a solid foundation to continue building on what could be offered within the rich world of Overwatch 2 – and Blizzard does promise that this is only the beginning, so keep an eye out for how things may shift or change next year!
Are you excited to see Pride being represented within game worlds? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
