It may be too late to save the Overwatch fandom

polygon.com:

Overwatch’s announcement trailer, released back in 2014, was bombastic and beautiful, and it kicked off a fervent fandom. Players loved the bright designs, strong characterization, and optimism inherent to the setting. The game’s launch and follow-up cinematics only solidified this fan base; people loved to ship characters, imagine their missions, and daydream about future lore. Overwatch was so widespread and iconic it even revolutionized the Rule 34 scene; the game was everywhere.

Then, just as suddenly, it vanished. The lore slowed to a trickle after 2018 and eventually came to a complete stop, along with major additions — we haven’t seen a new hero since 2020. Now, on the cusp of Overwatch 2’s PvP entering beta and a new Overwatch League season, the game should be poised for a triumphant return. Instead, it’s on shakier ground than ever, and other developers have snatched the momentum from Blizzard and ran with it instead.

Overwatch did not invent the idea of building a hero shooter around strong characters shown off through cinematics. Valve’s Team Fortress 2 and its “Meet the Team” cinematics still hold up nearly 15 years later, and they’re far less complex and elaborate than Overwatch’s trailers.

But Overwatch’s utopian near-future and diverse cast attracted a fan base that had been historically underserved by the first-person shooter genre. Communities of women and queer gamers gathered around the game; some of them were there mostly for the gameplay, while others were there for the lore and characters above all else.

Overwatch was, during its heyday, a legitimate cultural phenomenon. The gorgeous cinematics, vibrant character design, and hints at a larger narrative inspired a massive fandom. People cosplayed