As release of Overwatch on May 24 draws near, three giant action figures of Overwatch characters appeared as a publicity stunt by Blizzard for their newest game. There was one of Tracer in Los Angeles, one of Genji in Paris, and one of Pharah in Busan, South Korea.
World’s largest Overwatch action figures assemble around the globe! Begin your watch May 24: https://t.co/gTuF3vECIl pic.twitter.com/90nUw4AXcu
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) May 22, 2016
The giant Overwatch action figures were 15-feet tall and came in appropriately-sized packaging, complete with labels, artwork, and accessories. There’s even a “Try Me” button on the back that makes part of the figure light up when pressed. Each weighed three tons , requiring cranes and forklifts to be put in place.
Despite being merely marketing stunts for Overwatch, the attention to detail put on each figure was still a sight to behold. They may possibly be previews of actual Overwatch action figures that can be bought by fans in the future. The fine print on the back of the boxes featured some humorous writing that takes much from the game itself.
“While there is no physical or legal possibility to ‘play’ with the giant figures, you can play as 21 different heroes in Overwatch, releasing on the 24th of May, 12:00 GMT, on major consoles and PC. CHOKING HAZARD: It is impossible to choke on the figures due to their large size. However, choking during an actual Overwatch match is possible and may result in last-minute defeats, shame, embarrassment and public ridicule, courtesy of your peers. Prices and participation will not vary. The figures are priceless, and participation is not possible.”
![Back of the box. Overwatch fans crowd in front of the world's largest Tracer action figure on Hollywood Blvd. on Friday, May 20, 2016, in Los Angeles. [Photo by Jordan Strauss/AP Images for Blizzard]](http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AP_82893854378-670x445.jpg)
After its reveal in Blizzcon 2014 and subsequent beta phases, Overwatchis now set for its global launch. The open beta that ran from May 5 to 9 (later extended to May 10) was very successful, clocking in 9.7 million players from 190 countriesall around the world, as released by Blizzard and reported here in Inquisitr.
While it’s not unusual for multiplayer-only games to have storylines and extensive character backgrounds, the level of detail given to that of Overwatch makes for a rather interesting experience. Through short stories, online comics, the popular animated shorts, and the open beta, the world of Overwatch was fleshed out over a period of time, thus creating much hype for the game. There may be no plans to have a singleplayer campaign in Overwatch , but it wouldn’t be out of place at all.
As Blizzard Entertainment’s first original intellectual property in 17 years, Overwatch is said to be made from the remnants of the much-rumored “Project Titan”—an MMO game that will never see the light of day due to being canceled after seven years of development. This is also Blizzard’s first foray into the first-person shooter genre, making it fairly risky venture for the company. While much of Overwatch is shiny new, its gameplay and concepts are inspired by other games such as Valve’s Team Fortress 2.
Overwatch is one of the so-called “hero shooters” that have been springing up in recent times. Other titles in this sub-genre include Hi-Rez Studios’ Paladins and the recently-released Battleborn by Gearbox Software. A game in the hero shooter genre is defined as an objective-based multiplayer first-person shooter with fleshed-out characters to choose from instead of just classes or loadouts.
Overwatchlaunches worldwide on May 24 for Windows PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Both the standard and Origins editions of the game are available on Battle.net.
[Photo by Jordan Strauss/AP Images for Blizzard]