Overwatch Dev Post Archives & Overwatch 2 Facts & Beta Info

[Kaedi-11739]

Media Content, Lore, and Non-Game Elements

Lore

GENERAL LORE INFORMATION

• David Kang noted that the Yachemon character is a vegetarian - David Kang - 5/24/2021 - Reddit

• Arnold Tsang confirms that there are more comics coming out soon - Arnold Tsang - 5/24/2021 - Reddit

• Jeff Kaplan again explains that characters appearing Overwatch’s lore may one day become heroes - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit

• Jeff Kaplan hints that they want to explore Overwatch in other media like film or television in the future - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit

• Bill Warnecke speculates Widowmaker would make the best scrambled eggs - Bill Warnecke - 7/30/2020 - Reddit

• Jeff Kaplan explains the lore they want to explore for each hero - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit

• Jeff Kaplan explains that characters appearing Overwatch’s lore may one day become heroes - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit

• Jeff Kaplan updates on the progress of lore updates for Overwatch - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit

• Michael Chu confirms in the animated short “Recall”, language versions not listing the year are accurate in terms of the lore’s timeline - Michael Chu - 4/10/2019 - Official Forums

• McCree and Ashe were not in any intimate relationship - Michael Chu - 11/3/2018 - Twitter

• Michael Chu explains how and if lore is adjusted to reflect gameplay changes such as Hanzo’s Scatter Arrow or Bastion’s Ironclad Passive - Michael Chu - 8/13/2018 - Official Forums

• Michael Chu gives details Junkertown, the Queen, and the Mech Battles - Michael Chu - 7/25/2018 - Official Forums

• Michael Chu addresses a query about street identification in Rilato - Michael Chu - 5/21/2018 - Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan give a hint to the personality of the Junkertown Queen - Jeff Kaplan - 2/8/2018 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu states that the Los Muetros gang does not officially have a stance against Omnics but that does not speak for all of their members - Michael Chu - 2/1/2018 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu confirms that the Numbani airport (Attack Spawn A) is likely to remain damaged - Michael Chu - 2/1/2018 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu answers several lore-based questions in Overwatch - Michael Chu - 12/22/2017 - YouTube

• Michael Chu explains the term “god program” and how it relates to certain A.I. - Michael Chu - 11/9/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu confirms that Vialli (a former Talon Council Member is dead) - Michael Chu - 11/8/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan gives an obscure hint to who pilots the drop ships seen on the three original control maps - Jeff Kaplan - 9/29/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan explains Winston’s Recall and how other heroes react to it - Jeff Kaplan - 8/23/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan hints at the future fate of Overwatch (the organization) - Jeff Kaplan - 7/25/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu gives a vague hint to the possibility of alien life in Overwatch - Michael Chu - 7/5/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan jokingly explains why the Numbani airport (Attack Spawn A) remains damaged after the Doomfist attack - Jeff Kaplan - 5/9/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu confirms that the events in the comic “Binary” takes place sometime after the events in the comic “Reflections” - Michael Chu - 3/9/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu explains who you escort on the Hollywood map - Michael Chu - 1/31/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan explains that Oasis is in Iraq - Jeff Kaplan - 1/4/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu clarifies early animated short ages inaccuracies in certain scenes - Michael Chu - 1/3/2017 - Old Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan explains map development in terms of lore - Jeff Kaplan - 12/5/2016 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu whos armor rests in the Eichenwalde map - Michael Chu - 8/17/2016 - Old Official Forums

• Michael Chu gives a rough estimate to when the events of Overwatch and the Omnic Crisis takes place - Michael Chu - 8/17/2016 - Old Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan hints at the possiblity of a Canadian character/hero - Jeff Kaplan - 8/7/2016 - Old Official Forums

• Jeff Kaplan explains the reason why you escort the payload on Dorado - Jeff Kaplan - 7/8/2016 - Old Official Forums

• Overwatch Team addressing the possibility of LBGTQ characters in the game (Prior to the Reflections comic) - Lylirra - 8/25/2016 - Old Official Forums

ASHE LORE

• Arnold Tsang hints that details of Ashe’s tattoos are coming soon - Arnold Tsang - 5/24/2021 - Reddit

BAPTISTE LORE

• Lead Writer Michael Chu and Writer Alyssa Wong details on Baptiste’s history, culture, favorite food, and relationship with other heroes like Mercy and Sombra. - Tom Powers - 3/13/2019
• Michael Chu and clarifies about Baptiste’s role with the Carribean Collation - Michael Chu - 2/27/2019 - Official Forums

BASTION LORE

• Michael Chu details that Bastion is at least waterproof enough to walk across the Baltic Sea - 2/17/2019
• Michael Chu explains the original purpose of the Bastion units before the Omnic Crisis was for peacekeeping purposes) - Michael Chu - 11/30/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu confirms that Configuration: Tank is lore canon for Bastion - Michael Chu - 7/5/2017 - Old Official Forums

BRIGITTE LORE

• NEWS POST - Brigitte Q&A

CASSIDY LORE

• AndyB explains in terms of lore, Cassidy is resuming is true identity with the name change - AndyB - 10/22/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains that previously released merchandise, comics, and short stories will still show Cassidy’s old name- AndyB - 8/26/2021 - Official Forums
• Arnold Tsang confirms Cassidy’s ethincity - Arnold Tsang - 5/24/2021 - Reddit
• The origins of the original name for Cassidy prior to it being changed - Michael Chu - 4/24/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu gives the definition of ‘S’ in SAMF on Cassidy’s Lifeguard Skin) - Michael Chu - 8/16/2017 - Old Official Forums

DOOMFIST LORE

• A brief character development History of Doomfist - Michael Chu - 7/28/2017 - Old Official Forums

D.VA LORE

• The Korean Army knows little about the Gwishin Omnics - Michael Chu - 8/24/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu gives the proper spelling for the Gwishin Omnics - Michael Chu - 8/23/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu gives the proper spelling D.Va’s friend and MEKA partner Dae-hyun - Michael Chu - 8/23/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu gives details about D.Va’s commanding officer Captain Myung - Michael Chu - 8/23/2018 - Official Forums
• D.Mon was D.Va’s teammate during her esports career - Michael Chu - 8/23/2018 - Official Forums
• D.Va and Dae-hyun are childhood friends - Michael Chu - 8/23/2018 - Official Forums
• Dae-hyun’s role with MEKA - Michael Chu - 8/23/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu states that D.Va played StarCraft/SCII, but that it was never her primary game that put her into esports fame. Her father however primarily plays StarCraft/SCII - Michael Chu - 2/1/2018 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu elaborates that StarCraft II was not D.Va esports game before joining MEKA) - Michael Chu - 1/30/2018 - Twitter
• D.Va does not play a specific Race class in StarCraft/SCII - Michael Chu - 12/4/2017 - Old Official Forums

HANZO LORE

• It was pure developer preference why the “Simple Geometry” voice line is intact - Michael Chu - 6/29/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu explains the “Beauty” voice line for Hanzo) - Michael Chu - 7/5/2017 - Old Official Forums

JUNKRAT LORE

• Jeff Kaplan reveals what is in Junkrat’s canteen - 6/9/2016 - Old Official Forums

MEI LORE

• Michael Chu reveals Mei’s age - Michael Chu - 3/11/2017 - Old Official Forums

MERCY LORE

• Michael Chu has clarified that Mercy is both a doctor and a scientist - Michael Chu - 2/23/2019 Official Forums
• Michael Chu again confirms that Mercy is not immortal - Michael Chu - 6/15/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu again confirms that Mercy does age and was not part of Overwatch’s founding - Michael Chu - 12/15/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu again confirms that Mercy does age and did not join Overwatch at age 17 - Michael Chu - 8/17/2016 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu confirms that Mercy does age and was not part of Overwatch’s founding - Michael Chu - 12/15/2017 - Old Official Forums

MOIRA LORE

• Jeff Kaplan confirms some of Moira’s voices lines are in Gaelic - Jeff Kaplan - 11/8/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu explains Moira’s personality and research ethics - Michael Chu - 11/8/2017 - Old Official Forums

ORISA LORE

• Jeff Kaplan identifies Orisa’s puppy is a Boston Terrier - Jeff Kaplan - 12/13/2017 - Reddit
• Michael Chu explains the difference between Omnic and robot - Michael Chu - 3/3/2017 - Old Official Forums

PHARAH LORE

• Michael Chu reveals that Pharah chose to keep her Mother’s maiden name - Michael Chu - 7/30/2019 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu reveals Pharah’s favorite choice of music - Michael Chu - 2/2/2019 - Official Forums
• Age was not the reason that Pharah never made it into Overwatch - Michael Chu - 1/5/2018 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu hints at what Pharah was doing in the “Reflections” comic - Michael Chu - 12/22/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu gives a vague hint to Pharah’s Father - Michael Chu - 8/15/2016 - Old Official Forums

REAPER LORE

• Arnold Tsang confirms the family Reaper is stalking in the Reflections comic is indeed his family - Arnold Tsang - 5/24/2021 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan assures lore for Reaper is coming - Jeff Kaplan - 3/9/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu confirms that only Ana, Soldier: 76, and Sombra are aware of Reaper’s actual identity (despite in-game voicelines) - Michael Chu - 3/27/2017 - Old Official Forums

REINHARDT LORE

• Michael Chu reveals Reinhardt’s favorite choice of music - Michael Chu - 2/2/2019 - Official Forums

ROADHOG LORE

• Michael Chu speculates that Roadhog would own a kunekune as a pet) - Michael Chu - 5/17/2017 - Old Official Forums

SOLDIER: 76

• Michael Chu confirms that Soldier: 76 once had a relationship with a character named Vincent. Both identify as being gay.) - Michael Chu - 1/7/2019 - Twitter

SOMBRA LORE

• Michael Chu confirms that Sombra is not the young girl Alejandra seen in the “Hero” animated short (this is later proven when the “Searching” comic is released) - Michael Chu - 7/12/2017 - Old Official Forums

SYMMETRA LORE

• Jeff Kaplan confirms Symmetra has Autism - Jeff Kaplan - 3/8/2017 - Internet Article

TORBJORN LORE

• Torb’s uses multiple mechanical arms - Michael Chu - 8/7/2018 - Official Forums
• Michael Chu confirms that the children on Torbjorn’s lap are his grandchildren - Michael Chu - 2/28/2018 - Official Forums

TRACER LORE

• Michael Chu confirms that did not die in the battle against Doomfist in the Doomfist Origins Story video - Michael Chu - 7/7/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu again confirms that Tracer is not immortal - Michael Chu - 6/15/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu explains how the Chronal Accelerator works - Michael Chu - 1/3/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu again confirms that Tracer does age and was not part of Overwatch’s founding - Michael Chu - 12/15/2016 - Old Official Forums
• Michael Chu confirms that Tracer does age - Michael Chu - 7/17/2016 - Old Official Forums

WRECKING BALL LORE

• Hammond is a Mechanic - Michael Chu - 2/14/2018 - Official Forums

ZENYATTA LORE

• “Tekhartha” is Zenyatta’s Title/Honorific - Michael Chu - 5/25/2018 - Official Forums

 

Comics | Animated Shorts | Origin Stories | Articles

COMICS & SHORT STORIES

• SHORT STORY - Mercy | Valkyrie
• SHORT STORY - Baptiste | What You Left Behind
• SHORT STORY - Soldier: 76 & Ana | Bastet
• COMIC - McCree | Train Hopper
• COMIC - Reinhardt & Brigitte | Dragon Slayer
• COMIC - Junkrat & Roadhog | Going Legit
• COMIC - Symmetra | A Better World
• COMIC - Pharah | Mission Statement
• COMIC - Torbjorn | Destroyer
• COMIC - Ana & Widowmaker | Legacy
• COMIC - Ana, Solider: 76, Reaper | Old Soliders
• COMIC - Halloween Terror | Junkenstein
• COMIC - Winter Wonderland | Reflections
• COMIC - Lunar New Year | Winston’s Journey to the West
• COMIC - Torbjorn & Bastion | Binary
• COMIC - Archives | Uprising
• COMIC - Doomfist | Masquerade
• COMIC - Junkrat & Roadhog| Wasted Land
• COMIC - Zayra & Sombra | Searching
• COMIC - Halloween Terror| The Return of Junkenstein
• COMIC - Winter Wonderland| Yeti Hunt
• COMIC - Archives| Retribution (PDF)

ANIMATED SHORTS

• ANIMATED SHORT - Tracer, Winston, Reaper, Widowmaker | Overwatch (Overwatch: Cinematic Trailer)
• ANIMATED SHORT - Winston| Are You With Us? (Cinematic Teaser)
• ANIMATED SHORT - Various | We are Overwatch (Theatrical Teaser)
• ANIMATED SHORT - Winston & Reaper | Recall
• ANIMATED SHORT - Tracer & Widowmaker | Alive
• ANIMATED SHORT - Genji & Hanzo | Dragons
• ANIMATED SHORT - Solider: 76 | Hero
• ANIMATED SHORT - Bastion | The Last Bastion
• ANIMATED SHORT - Sombra, Reaper, Widowmaker & Zayra | Inflitration
• ANIMATED SHORT - Mei | Rise and Shine
• ANIMATED SHORT - Reinhardt & Brigitte | Honor and Glory
• ANIMATED SHORT - D.Va | Shooting Star
• ANIMATED SHORT - Ashe, McCree, & Echo | Reunion
• ANIMATED SHORT - Winston, Tracer, Mei, Genji, Mercy, Brigitte, Reinhardt, & Echo | Zero Hour (Overwatch 2 Cinematic Trailer)

ORIGIN STORIES

• ORIGIN STORY - Tracer (third party source)
• ORIGIN STORY - Solider: 76
• ORIGIN STORY - A Moment in Crime | Junkrat & Roadhog
• ORIGIN STORY - Ana
• ORIGIN STORY - Sombra
• ORIGIN STORY - Orisa
• ORIGIN STORY - Doomfist
• ORIGIN STORY - Moira
• ORIGIN STORY - Brigitte
• ORIGIN STORY - Wrecking Ball
• ORIGIN STORY - Ashe
• ORIGIN STORY - Baptiste
• ORIGIN STORY - Sigma
• ORIGIN STORY - Echo

LORE NEWS ARTICLES

• NEWS ARTICLE - EXPERIMENTAL WEAPON STOLEN FROM WATCHPOINT: GRAND MESA
• NEWS ARTICLE - FADING GLORY: ON THE TRAIL OF JACK MORRISON
• NEWS ARTICLE - LÚCIO BRINGS MUSIC TO LIFE WITH SYNAESTHESIA WORLD TOUR
• BLOG - MEI’S ADVENTURES
• NEWS ARTICLE - LUMÉRICO VISION FOR MEXICO UNVEILED, BUT THREATS TO SAFETY AND SECURITY REMAIN
• NEWS ARTICLE - OVERWATCH IS BACK: UNCERTAINTY AND HOPE AFTER UN CONFIRMS VIGILANTE ACTIVITY
• NEWS ARTICLE - LUMÉRICO REVELATIONS: CEO GUILLERMO PORTERO UNDER FIRE
• NEWS ARTICLE - LUMÉRICO CEO STEPS DOWN
• NEWS ARTICLE - OASIS TRAVEL TIPS
• NEWS ARTICLE - AN INTERVIEW WITH INVENTOR EFI OLADELE
• NEWS ARTICLE - NEW DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT POSSIBLE FATE OF HORIZON LUNAR COLONY
• NEWS ARTICLE - TALON INVOLVEMENT CONFIRMED IN PREVIOUS ATTACK ON HELIX FACILITY
• STORY UPDATE - A LETTER FROM TORBJÖRN TO HIS WIFE
• NEWS ARTICLE - OVERWATCH OFFICIALS RESPOND TO ATTACK ON OSLO FACILITY
• ARCHIVE - VENICE MEMORANDUM DECLASSIFICATION
• NEWS ARTICLE - [LOCAL] HOW DON RUMBOTICO’S INTERNATIONAL FAME IS SLOWLY ERASING ITS FOUNDERS FROM THE NARRATIVE
• CORRESPONDENCE - POST FOR TOSHIRO YAMAGAMI

 

Art

REFERENCE KITS

These are only available for the original 21 heroes from the launch of the game.

• Reference Kit - Bastion
• Reference Kit - D.Va
• Reference Kit - Genji
• Reference Kit - Hanzo
• Reference Kit - Junkrat
• Reference Kit - Lucio
• Reference Kit - McCree
• Reference Kit - Mei
• Reference Kit - Mercy
• Reference Kit - Pharah
• Reference Kit - Reaper
• Reference Kit - Reinhardt
• Reference Kit - Roadhog
• Reference Kit - Soldier
• Reference Kit - Symmetra
• Reference Kit - Torbjorn
• Reference Kit - Tracer
• Reference Kit - Widowmaker
• Reference Kit - Winston
• Reference Kit - Zayra
• Reference Kit - Zenyatta

Art Panels & Videos

• Junkertown: the Plan - Creating a New Kind of Overwatch Animation - BlizzCon 2017 - REQUIRES VIRTUAL TICKET
• Artist at Work - Building Ashe In-Game (Concept Art, Rigging, and Animation - BlizzCon 2018 - REQUIRES VIRTUAL TICKET
• Wrecking Ball Live-Drawing & Art Discussion - Twitch
• Artist at Work - Overwatch (Sigma - 3D Modeling, Rigging, and Controls Animation) - BlizzCon 2019 - REQUIRES VIRTUAL TICKET

Art Discussion_

• Jeff Kaplan explains the logic behind the spelling of Brigitte’s Feskarn skin - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan reminds a player that the new Maestro skin has him wearing shoes - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan hints they like exploring “alternate reality” skins for heroes - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Lead Technical Artist Dylan Jones comments on the idea of community skin art contests - Dylan Jones - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Lead Technical Artist Dylan Jones explains the technical difficulties in applying golden weapon skins - Dylan Jones - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Lead Technical Artist Dylan Jones shares which art themes he likes to work on - Dylan Jones - 7/30/2020 - Reddit

Cosplay

• Intermediate Cosplay - Tracer - BlizzCon 2017 - REQUIRES VIRTUAL TICKET
• Advanced Cosplay with Jackie Craft 5 - BlizzCon 2017 - REQUIRES VIRTUAL TICKET

 

Heroes Among Us

• ARTICLE - Weiwei: A Story of Courage, Hope, and Compassion
• ARTICLE - Marcin Rausch/Poland Esports
• VIDEO - Vitor “Ravnuslock” Silveira/Ecopoint Brazil
• VIDEO - Matilda Smedius/Voice Actor for Brigitte Lindholm
• VIDEO - Jordan Duncan/Henchman Studios
• ARTICLE - Chae “Kkuem” Ji Yun/Artist
• ARTICLE - Kim-Seang “Nesskain” Hong/Artist

 

Non-Game Related Posts

• Andy reminds the community to be more constructive with their comments and criticisms on the forums - AndyB - 3/30/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why harassment to women in video games is very different from general online harassment - AndyB - 3/1/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains the importance of understanding the difference between equitity and equality when promoting events and content focused on women, LGBTQIA+, and people of color - AndyB - 3/1/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why necrobumping posts on gaming forums is considered bad etiquette - AndyB - 1/28/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB jokes about whether all Overwatch heroes like pineapple on their pizza - AndyB - 11/10/2021 - Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan assures that posting on Reddit is a great way to leave feedback for Overwatch - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• John LaFleur shares key tips to applying for positions with Blizzard - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Bill Warnecke states there are no planned presentations or conferences the Overwatch Team is planning to participate in the immediate future (such as GDC) due to the pandemic - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Geoff Goodman thinks Doomfist would also be a great fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Geoff Goodman - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan thinks Tracer would be a great fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Jeff Kaplan - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Technical Director John Lafleur commented on the possiblity of developer vs. pros/community exhibition matches - John Lafleur - 7/30/2020 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan confirms which hero is the best “waifu” - Jeff Kaplan - 1/30/2020 - Official Forums
• Forum developer Callie has posted they are still working on setting the platform profile default in each user’s account (between PC and Console platforms) - Callie - 2/27/2019 - Official Forums
• Tom Powers gives words of encouragement for a player who worries about how he communicates in the game - Tom Powers - 2/26/2019 - Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan praises the composers for all of the music for Overwatch - Jeff Kaplan - 2/20/2019 - Reddit
• Bill Warnecke confirms the “Overwatch Mobile” video floating around on YouTube is fake and is considered a scam - Bill Warnecke - 12/08/2018 - Reddit
• Tom Powers details what a Loot Boost is for specially marked packages of Kellogg’s products including Lucio-oh’s cereal - Tom Powers - 11/14/2018 - Official Forums
• Tom Powers details that any remaining pre-orders for the BRCF Pink Mercy Shirt would be shipped out by end of September - Tom Powers - 9/7/2018 - Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan helps a student ask for a Prom Date - Jeff Kaplan - 5/5/2018 - YouTube
• Jeff Kaplan responds to a student about her essay - Jeff Kaplan - 4/6/2018 - YouTube
• Jeff Kaplan replies to compliments about the Art of Overwatch art book - Jeff Kaplan - 11/8/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan elaborates on how to select members of the development staff communicates with select pro players via Discord - Jeff Kaplan - 10/7/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan forum bans a user for 30 days after making demands that Blizzard terminate their representatives - Jeff Kaplan - 10/5/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan replies to a user’s story about how Overwatch helped her emotionally when being treated for cancer - Jeff Kaplan - 6/16/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan replies to a user accusing the dev team of not even playing the game - Jeff Kaplan - 6/15/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan gives his opinions of the Razer Blackwidow Keyboard - 4/26/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan shares his opinions of video game DLC business models - Jeff Kaplan - 3/13/2017 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan explains why Pacific Standard Time is used for timed annoucements in the game’s media - Jeff Kaplan - 11/30/2016 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan explains the introduction before the “Inflitration” short was not a full video of itself - Jeff Kaplan - 11/7/2016 - Old Official Forums

 

Fan Content | Fan Contributions

• Jodie reacts to a fan’s meme from a typo in a set of patch notes - Jodie - 2/11/2022 - Reddit
• AndyB comments on a fan’s woodcraved bastion figure - AndyB - 11/2/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB explains that sharing what are the experiences of playing the game is the most constructive form of feedback players can give - AndyB - 10/15/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why community channels for a game can become toxic and why it is up to the community manager to foster positive discussion on the forums - AndyB - 10/15/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why it is important for community managers to listen to feedback rather than leading the discussion - AndyB - 10/15/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why players brainstorming solutions without identifying issues is the least helpful feedback to solve those issues - AndyB - 10/15/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB notes how it is important to repeat certain talking points to reinforce community expectations - AndyB - 10/15/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB breakdown the realistic expectations for community participation on a game’s own community channels like the forums - AndyB - 10/15/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why its hard to schedule community events like AMAs during the early hours of day - AndyB - 10/14/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains that he hopes to get the forums to a place where more constructive discussion happens and allow Q&A sessions to take place - AndyB - 10/14/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explained why the Competitive Overwatch reddit AMA was briefly announced targeting focused participation - AndyB - 10/14/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB comments on a fan’s Widowmaker rifle cosplay prop and other various weapon props - AndyB - 10/11/2021 - Reddit
• Bill Warnecke comments on a Sigma cosplay made by a fan - Bill Warnecke - 10/08/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB comments on a fan’s Sombra Hack tattoo - AndyB - 10/5/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB comments on a Deadlock Ashe cosplay made by a fan - AndyB - 9/27/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB comments on a fan’s meme about the Overwatch 2 Tank reworks - AndyB - 9/13/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB comments on a fan’s Reinhardt Tattoo - AndyB - 9/13/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB comments on a Shieldmaden Brigitte cosplay made by a fan - AndyB - 9/9/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB comments on a fan-made animation featuring Sombra - AndyB - 9/9/2021 - Official Forums
• Arnold Tsang comments about how Overwatch positively impacted a fan who recently passed away from Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis - Arnold Tsang - 5/24/2021 - Reddit
• Bill Warnecke praises a player’s quick thinking when existing from the spawn room on King’s Row - Bill Warnecke - 4/29/2021 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan thanks a player for sharing his story on how Overwatch and Overwatch League impacts the lives of those with mental disablities - Jeff Kaplan - 3/25/2020 - Official Forums
• Bill Warnecke compliments on a fan creation of a Overwatch paint scheme on a car in the racing video game Gran Turismo Sport - Bill Warnecke - 12/14/2018 - Reddit
• Bill Warnecke compliments on a stop-motion animation featuring Wrecking Ball - Bill Warnecke - 11/20/2018 - Reddit
• Josh Engen explains the Overwatch Creator Residency Program - Josh Engen - November 5th, 2018 - Twitch
• Bill Warnecke compliments on a user re-creating Doomfist in Unreal Engine 4 - Bill Warnecke - 6/16/2018 - Reddit
• Bill Warnecke compliments on a user re-creating Orisa in Unreal Engine 4 - Bill Warnecke - 12/18/2017 - Reddit
• Bill Warnecke compliments on a user re-creating Tracer in Unreal Engine 4 - Bill Warnecke - 11/5/2017 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan responds a student who developed an Overwatch style Cairo map using Unreal Engine 4 - Jeff Kaplan - 12/28/2017 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan compliments a user’s character design concept ‘Tara’ used in a Arts Final project - Jeff Kaplan - 9/20/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan comments on the tribute video for Hongyu Wu - Jeff Kaplan - 5/9/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan reacts to Dinoflask - Jeff Kaplan - 3/13/2017 - Reddit
• The Overwatch Team stylizes a young child’s hero concept - Overwatch - 5/20/2016 - Twitter

 

Content Creator Relations - NEW

This section details specific responses related to how and why Blizzard supports their content creators

• Andy explains the importance of helping content creators learn from past mistakes and help them grow as a person - AndyB - 3/30/2022 - Official Forums
• Andy explains the Overwatch community team’s core philosophy of which content creators they want to work with - AndyB - 3/30/2022 - Official Forums
• Andy clarifies that his survey to invite content creators in the Beta does not affect the general player sign-up for Beta - AndyB - 3/29/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains the importance in the trust that they build between content creators and themselves - AndyB - 2/15/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB appreciates the discussion in players understading the relationship between them and content creators - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains what he does to reach out to prospective content creators that Blizzard wants to collaborate with - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB again explains it is his task to better reach out to small and upcoming content creators - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB takes the blame for the bad rollout of the discussion of a meeting under a NDA between content creators and Blizzard - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB makes it clear that content creators rely on strong relationships with game studios for their livelyhood and success - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB makes it clear the needs of content creators and the needs of regular players differ - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB gives a detailed explain to why game studios like Blizzard work to support content creators - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB understand that Blizzard needs to do more to support small and upcoming content creators - AndyB - 1/20/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why its important to support content creators and maintain relationships - AndyB - 1/20/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why community managers work with content creators to prepare them for news, promotions and other content - AndyB - 1/20/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains the purpose and goals of having events involving content creators - AndyB - 12/1/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why there is a different outreach and relationship that video game studios have to content creators to that of the rest of the player community - AndyB - 12/1/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why it is important to treat content creators respectfully to that any other player - AndyB - 12/1/2021 - Official Forums

 

Community Development - NEW

This section details specific responses related to how Blizzard interacts with and manages the expecations of the community, along with details explaining the community manager role. (Some older posts from other sections have been moved here.)

• Andy explains why forum polls and petitions are rarely helpful - AndyB - 6/9/2022 - Official Forums
• Andy gives his gratitude to the community team he leads - AndyB - 6/9/2022 - Official Forums
• Andy again reminds why he doesn’t immediately reveal details about upcoming changes on the forums before they are ready - AndyB - 6/9/2022 - Official Forums
• Andy explains the challenges the community team deals with in changing how they deliver information to the community - AndyB - 6/9/2022 - Official Forums
• Andy reminds everyone that communication does not equal hype - AndyB - 6/9/2022 - Official Forums
• Andy reminds everyone the goal is to provide news when it is ready and not needlessly hype up everyone on the forums - AndyB - 6/9/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB emphasizes on why revealing content is not up to him alone - AndyB - 3/1/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB again reminds certain members of the community to why he won’t reveal content about Overwatch until is ready to be released by Blizzard - AndyB - 3/1/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains when he can make the decisions to communicate to the community about certain news - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why he alone cannot provide a roadmap into Overwatch’s development - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains that the forum community is also an essential part of the overall community - AndyB - 1/26/2022 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why prepared news articles are an essential task for community managers - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB apologizes for not elaborate on the hero balance changes for a recent patch - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why telling bad news in advance would detract from the excitment for upcoming events - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why he choose to abstain from warning the community in advance about there only being two legendary skins in the Year of the Tiger Lunar New Year Event - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB reminds the community the feels of the developers and the players are both equally important - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB wants players to understand is that the Overwatch team is not apathetic to the player experience - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• Jodie understands players feelings about the slow pace of balance changes and game development for Overwatch - Jodie - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why he has full confidence in the Overwatch development team - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why major announcements are not typically made on the forums - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why announcments and news about Overwatch are not made in advance that must be carefully vetted by Blizzard before they are made - AndyB - 1/25/2021 - Official Forums
• Jodie explains why community managers engage and talk with the community on the forums - Jodie - 1/24/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB confirms in details the role and responsiblities of community management - AndyB - 1/18/2021 - Official Forums
• Jodie explains that community management is more than just interacting with the community - Jodie - 1/18/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why the forums tend to be more critical due to the more core fanbase of the game - AndyB - 12/1/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB reiterates why the Competitive Overwatch Reddit AMA had very little lead time - AndyB - 11/10/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why an article was published several weeks later about the Competitive Overwatch Reddit AMA - AndyB - 11/10/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB understands the frustration the Overwatch community has about the long time it is taking for Overwatch 2 to be made and dismisses the claim that Overwatch 2 will only be released in the year 2023 - AndyB - 10/28/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB reminds players they should post in the Bug Report forums when they encounter formatting issues with the patch notes in the game client - AndyB - 10/28/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains that community managers best perform by always learning what motivates players - AndyB - 10/26/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains that even player sentiment that includes hyperbole is still considered in the overall community feedback for the game - AndyB - 10/26/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB states why players are more conscious of the overall effort to the hero balance in Overwatch - AndyB - 10/26/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB notes that Blizzard will not be taking action against players who insist on using the old name for Cassidy - AndyB - 10/22/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB comments they hope to return to regular developer video updates in the near future - AndyB - 10/22/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB dismisses speculation that upcoming Overwatch 2 hero reworks would not be directly tied to new skins being made for Overwatch - AndyB - 10/5/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains that feedback that identifies the problems players have instead of proposed solutions is the most helpful - AndyB - 10/5/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB understands why the community tends to compare games in development to other games - AndyB - 10/5/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains why player ideas and solutions to problems in games are often not good but why the feedback is still valid - AndyB - 9/13/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB explains the goals to making the forums a safe and constructive platform for discussion about Overwatch - AndyB - 9/28/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains that they will occasionally try to use new platforms of communication for discussion and announcements for Overwatch such as Twitter Spaces - AndyB - 9/28/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB notes that major announcements like the upcoming hero reworks are not likely to be posted on the forums first - AndyB - 9/27/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains how community managers work to remove the personal bias from players opinions about current balance with the game to deliver meaningful constructive feedback to the development team - AndyB - 9/24/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB explains how community managers work to deliver feedback to the developers who in turn make the decisions to make beneficial changes to the game - AndyB - 9/17/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB jokes about his skills with D.Va in context of his Competitive Rank and his role as a community manager - AndyB - 9/13/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB states his skills in community management is not related to how good of a player he is in Overwatch - AndyB - 9/17/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB reminds that what he communicates is done by coordinating with the devs - AndyB - 9/13/2021 - Reddit
• AndyB states his presence on the forums is an effort to cut down on overspeculation and rumors - AndyB - 9/13/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB reminds the community to not read too much into certain examples he posts on the forum to actual changes coming - AndyB - 9/13/2021 - Official Forums
• AndyB jokes about the role of community managers in relation to the forums - AndyB - 9/9/2021 - Reddit
• Tom Powers assures a user the development team frequently reads the forums for feedback about the game - Tom Powers - 7/2/2018 - Official Forums
• Tom Powers reminds why the Dislike button was removed in the new forum platform - Tom Powers - 6/22/2018 - Official Forums
• Unable to Post in Other Forums? Information here! - Drakuloth - 6/16/2018 - Official Forums
• Josh Engen explains why the Dislike button was removed in the new forum platform - Josh Engen - 6/20/2018 - Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan assures the best way to share feedback or ideas is on the forums or Reddit - Jeff Kaplan - 3/13/2017 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan finds amusement in the community attempt to guess at new heroes or content - Jeff Kaplan - 3/13/2017 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan doesn’t like it when the community is being toxic to each other or is spreading hyperbole - Jeff Kaplan - 3/13/2017 - Reddit
• Jeff Kaplan notes how the community contradicts itself frequently - Jeff Kaplan - 3/2/2017 - Old Official Forums
• Jeff Kaplan details on the difference between constructive feedback and trolling on the forums - Jeff Kaplan - 1/9/2017 - Old Official Forums

 

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As always if any of you have sourcable information about any developer comments about Overwatch or Overwatch 2, be sure to post here and I will review it to see if it needs to be in the archive or not. Thank you everyone for your support in this project of mine. Cheers!