It looks like Overwatch 2 is gayer than it’s ever been. First Lifeweaver was revealed because the collection’ first pansexual hero, then dialogue appeared to trace that Baptiste was additionally queer. Now, a Pride occasion has confirmed that Baptiste is certainly, queer, and veteran hero Pharah can be a member of the alphabet military.
Read More: In Overwatch, Healing Is The Real Gay Agenda
I used to be able to be disillusioned with the sport’s Pride occasion as a result of it’s straightforward for a corporation as massive as Blizzard to offer what looks like a pandering token to the queer group. But whereas I feel Overwatch 2’s Pride content material is missing in some methods, it looks like an earnest try and lastly acknowledge a group that has stored its heroes of their hearts for this lengthy.
What does the Overwatch 2 Pride occasion embrace?
Overwatch 2’s Pride occasion begins on June 1, and consists of participant icons, profile banners, and one spray for Tracer that’s a photograph of her and her girlfriend Emily. The participant icons and title playing cards are fairly in depth, and characterize loads of individuals throughout the queer spectrum, from sexual orientation to gender identification. But whereas the broad strokes of illustration are good, one of many issues that stands out to me as a long-time Overwatch fan, particularly as one who bought into this recreation due to its queer heroes, is that the upcoming Pride occasion additionally takes time to focus on its particular LGBTQIA+ heroes.
Alongside the final Pride cosmetics, every of Overwatch 2’s queer characters will get devoted title playing cards that each broadly characterize the queer group and their particular identities, as nicely. This means Tracer will get a lesbian flag banner, Soldier will get a homosexual one, Lifeweaver will get a pansexual one, and the 2 new additions to Overwatch’s queer line-up get their very own: Baptiste has a bisexual banner, and Pharah has a lesbian one.
Baptiste is probably not a shock to followers who’ve been paying consideration, as his dialogue with Lifeweaver greater than implied the 2 had the hots for one another. Pharah, in the meantime, has been the topic of a core ship inside the group between her and Support hero Mercy, however has by no means been explicitly mentioned to be queer within the Overwatch universe prior to now. But now, it looks as if that relationship, although maybe one-sided, has some reality to it in official recreation lore. It’s attention-grabbing as a result of that ship has largely come from how suitable the 2 are within the precise gameplay of Overwatch as a result of they’re each airborne heroes who complement one another nicely, however I received’t complain about it leading to some specific illustration inside the world.
Both Baptise and Pharah discuss their crushes for Mercy and Cassidy in a brand new brief story known as As You Are, which launched alongside these cosmetics right now. Even by Overwatch brief story requirements, it’s a fast learn that’s largely simply Pharah and Baptiste coping with their emotions collectively. But you already know what? That’s sufficient. I don’t want a giant motion sequence each time I get a brand new Overwatch story. We love lore that acknowledges these characters for who they’re, relatively than current in a state of believable deniability. But that will get us to the half concerning the Pride occasion I hope Blizzard improves upon subsequent 12 months: the dearth of tangible permanence.
How does Overwatch 2 rejoice Pride in-game?
Alongside the icons and title playing cards, essentially the most substantial in-game facet of the Pride occasion is flags across the New York-based Midtown map. According to Blizzard’s Aaron Keller, the concept is that earlier than the Overwatch squad rolls by way of, New York has simply wrapped up its personal Pride parade, which is why all of the decorations are nonetheless hanging up. It seems enjoyable, and I already love going to Midtown due to its banger intro music, however as soon as June ends, the rainbows will disappear and the map will return to what it as soon as was. Keller additionally factors out that the Tracer and Emily picture spray will likely be a fixture inside the Watchpoint: Gibraltar within the barracks map transferring ahead, however I can’t assist however want extra acknowledgments of the queer heroes and gamers of Overwatch would keep longer than the 30 days of June.
Midtown is simply one of many dozens of maps that gamers could very nicely not see in a given play session, and even then, this can be a limited-time change. It’s nothing that can tangibly keep within the recreation when the clock strikes midnight on the finish of June the place different gamers can see it always. This is the issue queer individuals cope with each time Pride comes round. Corporations will slap a rainbow on their brand on social media, then when July comes round, it’s out of the blue the identical shade of grey it was in May. Overwatch 2 is greater than prepared to fly a Pride flag in the course of the designated month, however it would fold it up and throw it again into the closet after the month is over.
All the Overwatch 2 Pride occasion cosmetics, from the icons and banners, are neatly tucked away in your profession profile. You’ll see Pride flags flying in New York City whilst you and your folks push the payload this month, however there are not any Pride-related skins for Solider: 76, Pharah, Baptiste, Lifeweaver, or Tracer to put on, no sprays for heroes apart from Tracer to throw up on the wall after pulling off a Play of the Game-earning sweep, and no voice traces of Soldier: 76 telling individuals “transfer, I’m homosexual” as he sprints previous. This is the most important step ahead Overwatch has had all as soon as for queer illustration, however there’s solely a lot right here that can final after June and will likely be seen to all gamers.
When I began enjoying Overwatch in 2019, it was due to Soldier: 76. Yeah, you would possibly suppose he’s primary and boring, however he was a tortured homosexual soul in an trade the place homosexual males are seldom given the highlight until we’re an choice. But even then, I by no means thought I’d see a banner to placed on my profile that had Soldier adorned with a homosexual males’s Pride flag.
Activision Blizzard has been beneath a ton of strife as its employees are preventing for tangible change in its poisonous work setting, and I think about even one thing like profile icons, a limited-time map change, and a brief story fully devoted to revealing extra queer heroes was an uphill battle to implement. Blizzard devs have even mentioned as a lot because the occasion was unveiled. I simply hope that as this turns into a fixture in Overwatch’s annual occasion rotation, we see extra progress and extra illustration, particularly in methods that may be seen between gunfire and payload pushing.
