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A new book that goes behind the scenes of Overwatch's cinematics is coming in October, giving you a look at the designs and decisions that helped bring the game's world to life beyond the arena.
The Cinematic Art of Overwatch is up on Amazon right now, with pre-orders open for $45. The final collection will span 244 pages, with a coffee table book sized selection of visuals pulled from across the animation process as well as written accounts of their development. Here's the official synopsis:
"Starting with the announcement trailer in 2014, Overwatch’s award-winning cinematics captured the hearts of millions across the world, introducing them to a hopeful science-fiction world where heroes are needed.
"Crafting these animated shorts required the Blizzard cinematics team to explore new ways of animated film making with a bold new art style, more frequent releases, and intimate collaboration with the game team. The Cinematic Art of Overwatch chronicles this journey, featuring never-before-seen art and anecdotes that illustrate how Overwatch's richly imagined characters and world were brought to life through cinematic storytelling."
Blizzard has a long history of impressive cinematic trailers - I still get chills when I watch the original opening video for World of Warcraft. Since Overwatch (the game) is all about non-canonical PvP battles, the Blizzard cinematic team got to take more of a lead in telling the stories behind the characters and events that shaped its near-future story.
The lore's filled out with comic books and short stories and stuff like that, too, but the videos are what really help draw new players in - whether it's the sadness and hope of Echo's origins or the stirring reunion of the Overwatch 2 intro.
Speaking of emotional impact, Blizzard put googly eyes on all the Overwatch heroes. You can read all about it in our April Fools' Day 2020 round-up.
