'Overwatch': How a Failed MMO Turned Into a Beloved Heroic Shooter

Overwatch quickly took the gaming world by storm when it debuted back in 2016 and Blizzard has done an amazing job and keeping that fan-base happy! From comics, to animated short stories - for a game that's a pretty straightforward shooter, it's got a ton of hidden lore!

But what many may not know is that it's actually a product of a pretty epic "fail" regarding Project Titan. To help break down the rocky road to success, one of our favourite YouTube channels has given an easy-to-follow lore breakdown about the long-hard road out of development hell.

"After MMO juggernaut, World of WarCraft rocked the gaming world, the confidence at Blizzard runneth over," begins the video. "Remembering the joy in building Azeroth and overlooking the struggles, the devs were confident they could go bigger. In 2007, they posted jobs for their Next Gen MMO and World of WarCraft director, Jeff Kaplin, even jumped to the new Project Titan. Set to be larger than the World of WarCraft, the designers dove in, eager to put their mark on Blizzard's first new IP in 17 years, but as Chris Metzen recalls, the connectivity wasn't there. Over 100 people worked on Titan, but everyone worked on their own piece of the game and the project as a whole suffered."

After 7 years of being stuck, Blizzard eventually moved around almost everyone to different projects leaving only a skeleton crew behind to tie up loose ends. "Embarrassed and humbled, the team was supported by Blizzard coworkers, but the success of games like Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm was only a reminder of their recent failure. They needed redemption, they needed to dedicate the next five years to a game they would enjoy."

The video continues, "So the team reminisced about the games that inspired them to pursue careers in the industry. For most of them, these were the first person shooters of the 90's. Many had been in the modding community on Action Quake, Half-Life, and designers Scott Mercer and Geoff Goodman were even in a Team Fortress clan before they ever met in person. As they shared their experiences, they knew their next title should encompass everything they loved about 90's shooters and Overwatch was born."

Kaplan knew that something needed to change, especially with so many heavy hitters in the FPS genre. Blizzard new that they weren't going to compete against the Call of Duty's of the gaming world so they went a completely different route instead - a route that includes giant pigs, military gorillas, zenned out robots, and so many other interesting heroes.

"The team also drew inspiration from the growing popularity of MOBAs in which team strategy was paramount. With this in mind, the heroes of Overwatch were separated into four classes (Offense, Defense, Tank and Support) to promote the team dynamic."

"Finally, after keeping Overwatch under wraps, it was time to announce their new IP at BlizzCon2014. With an outcry of public support and a front row of emotional developers, it was clear that Titan was behind them. In nearly two years since, we've seen prequel comics, a popular beta, and even talks of Overwatch e-sports. So grab some friends, choose your outrageous character, and see why failure is often the first step towards greatness."

Overwatch is now available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.