Overwatch: future of an animated series not ruled out

The world of Overwatch continues to intrigue, with the possibility of new narrative experiences layered on top of the existing gameplay. Walter Kong, Overwatch’s general manager, has said that the idea of an animated series is not completely off the table. His comments come amid ongoing fan demand for an Overwatch animated series.

The call for an animated series

Since Overwatch launched in 2016, fans have repeatedly voiced their desire for an animated series based on Blizzard’s popular hero shooter. Walter Kong noted that whenever new material is shown, such as hero trailers or events, the community often responds by asking when a series like that will finally happen. "We hear that, and it’s not a huge leap to believe there’s a lot of demand for that kind of content," Kong said.

Blizzard’s previous attempts

Blizzard has already tried to develop animated series based on its various games, but those efforts did not pan out. In 2024, author Jason Schreier revealed that Blizzard had plans to bring series based on StarCraft, Overwatch, and Diablo to Netflix, but those plans were shelved after a lawsuit between Blizzard and Netflix over the hiring of a finance executive.

The latest developments

During Overwatch’s 10th anniversary celebration, with more than 4.4 billion matches played, Blizzard has been re-evaluating its storytelling approach. Since then, the studio has focused on longer narrative arcs told across multiple seasons, which is seen as a response to players’ appetite for story. Kong said the team initially took on too much, which led to a stretch with relatively little content.

Future possibilities

There are signs that Blizzard is open to collaborations beyond the traditional PvP experience, as shown by the recent crossover with Epic Games to bring Overwatch characters into Fortnite. Kong himself helped set up that initiative, and he strongly believes in the potential of surprise collaborations.

So there may still be a chance for Overwatch to continue telling its story, possibly in animated form. Until then, players can keep enjoying the existing content and new developments within the game.