Blizzard recently revealed their biggest inspiration for Overwatch and how they bounced back from their Titan project. Despite their tribulations, the studio managed to grab hope from the ashes of their failure.
According to Polygon, Blizzard has taken their fans to countless locations and different worlds but their most challenging feat yet was holding a setting on planet Earth. As some fans are aware, the first-person shooter was built on the ruins of their Titan project wherein Blizzard took a major hit. Naturally, they wanted their next project to reflect a 'bright and hopeful world' as opposed to the despondency they experienced.
Rising From the Ashes of Titan
Because of this, they decided to focus on Earth and think about all the 'cool' things the planet has. Furthermore, they noted that they still had to maintain a level of fantasy to their designs, hence why some locations seem idealized. In spite of this, the process was not as arduous as they had references they could use as a basis.
Similarly, the development team wanted to deviate from shooter games which are mostly very gritty or post-apocalyptic. "We hadn't seen a lot of games explore a future Earth that was positive and hopeful," game director Jeff Kaplan stated. Ars Technica reports that they wanted to make a game where players feel welcome and an Earth with a future worth fighting for.
A Hopeful Future in Overwatch
In line with this, Kaplan used Oasis as an example since it is the map based off of Iraq. He claimed that they wanted to imagine a better future for the locality and not something 'dirty' like the media usually portrays it as. With this in mind, Blizzard aimed to instill hope instead of taking the usual way by creating dusty streets and broken buildings.
The real challenge with creating Earth is having to make characters who feel 'real' and 'human.' Everyone in the team wanted different things so instead of sticking to one idea, they embraced all of it instead. The end result is the diversity which became one of the game's most celebrated features. Overall, Overwatch is more than a game but an attempt to show off a bright and beautiful world that took its inspiration from the planet that everyone lives on.
