Overwatch: First Strike Graphic Novel Canceled By Blizzard

This weekend holds a bit of sad news for Overwatch fans: the planned First Strike graphic novel has been canceled. The graphic novel was originally slated for publications in April 2017, with the idea itself dating back to the video game's development. According to lead writer Michael Chu, though, the decision to cancel the graphic novel is because "we've ultimately decided to take the story in a different direction."

The announcement was posted on Battle.net recently, with Chu saying, in part:

In the years since First Strike's conception, we have done a lot of development on the universe and its stories. While the core of this story remains, we have changed and expanded upon how we see the events that took place during the first days of Overwatch ...

So for now the early adventures of Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison, Ana Amari, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Torbjörn Lindholm (and more!) wait for another day. But we know that this is a story that you are excited about, and it's one we still plan to tell.

This doesn't mean we won't get any Overwatch graphic novels, though, as Chu says there are multiple stories currently in development, and they will 'delve deeper' into both the game's heroes and its overall world. No publication dates were provided, though, with Chu simply saying that they'll be shared with fans 'in the coming months.'

Overwatch, for those unaware, is a popular video game that has a play-free weekend going on right now — from November 18 to 21, you can hop on and play the game even if you haven't bought it. The game's available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. More details on that can be found in the timeline below.

SOURCE: Blizzard Watch