Michael Chu, Overwatch Lead Writer, has left Blizzard Entertainment after twenty years with the studio. It was announced yesterday via Chu’s Twitter, @westofhouse:
As Lead Writer, Michael Chu was responsible for developing many of the backstories for the heroes and villains of Overwatch. Not only this, but he worked on a lot of the famed dialogue and character interactions. Although it may be a simple utterance, Mercy’s “Heroes never die!” has become iconic. It completely captures the hopeful and inspiring tone of Overwatch’s message to the world. Chu also worked on the production of Overwatch’s spectacular series of short animations. So basically a lot of what makes Overwatch so incredible was worked on by Chu.
Tactical, objective-based shooters weren’t new when Overwatch was released, but a game with such a diverse and vivid cast of playable characters was what really helped it take off. There was a character that everyone, at some level, could relate to, a character that people could, hopefully, feel represented them in some way. Here’s a video of Chu himself giving a rundown of all the heroes for WIRED:
Overwatch wasn’t the only thing Chu worked on throughout his career with Blizzard; he also worked on Diablo 3 and World of Warcraft during these twenty years. However, as Overwatch lead writer, Chu was responsible for much of the Overwatch lore inside and outside of the game.
For example, Chu penned Overwatch short stories Bastet and Valkyrie, both of which further the already-established backstories of Ana and Mercy respectively. Bastet and the Tracer comic Reflections were among two of his most well-received pieces of expanded lore through their exploration of Soldier: 76 and Tracer’s sexualities.
The statement by Michael Chu is heart-warming…
Chu’s post on his personal site, seen in the tweet above, is as emotionally charged as it is empowering. Here’s a bit of it which I think sums this up well:
Overwatch offered an opportunity to bring a more inclusive vision of earth to life: a future worth fighting for. Together, we worked, struggled, and shed tears to champion a universe that featured people from across the world, to bring to life the wondrous sights of earth’s past, present, and future, and to empower the contributions of creators and voices who would better represent the breadth of human experience. I believed that a game could show the power of diversity and that one kiss could change the world, if only a little.
I don’t think any fan can deny Chu’s passion for his work. Thanks to Chu’s work, Overwatch has created a global community that has brought new experiences and friendships to thousands of fans.
When Polygon reached out for comment, Blizzard responded with the following:
Michael’s contributions to the games and stories of the Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch universes have been a source of inspiration, and we will always be thankful for the time he spent at Blizzard. We wish him the best for the future.
Blizzard Spokesperson to Polygon
Seems like a little bit of a cut-and-paste response, but I suppose this is something of a standard in the industry.
With Overwatch 2 in development, what does Michael Chu’s exit mean for the story-driven sequel? I’m expecting that a lot of the groundwork has already been done. We can only hope it stays true to the vision set by Michael Chu. Keep an eye out here for more Overwatch news from Gamezo.
