When a game like Overwatch has 32 characters in its roster and a handful more on the way with Overwatch 2, some of those heroes are bound to suffer when it comes to story and lore that expands upon their character and background. And generally, Symmetra and Zenyatta have been two of characters that have suffered the most, existing mostly on the outskirts of the actual conflict going on in Blizzard’s universe. Symmetra got one (1) comic four years ago, but Zenyatta has mainly just been vibing with the “Genji’s mentor” label being just about all he’s got. Well the studio is answering this with a new short story called Overwatch: Stone By Stone, which is not only expanding upon the two largely unsung heroes, but is bringing cosmetics to the actual game.
The short story is available on Overwatch’s official site, and runs for 25 pages long with art interspersed between the story. It follows a similar format to previous Overwatch short stories that Blizzard has been releasing since early last year. This includes Bastet, which followed Ana and Soldier: 76, What You Left Behind that focused on Baptiste, and Valkyrie, which took place after the Overwatch 2 reveal cinematic and starred Mercy. It’s written by Christie Golden, who has done a lot of work in expanded video game lore over the years. While she’s worked with Blizzard before on Starcraft and Warcraft novelizations, she’s also written in universes like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Assassin’s Creed.
While Zenyatta may be involved, Symmetra is still technically getting the star role here, so she’ll be the one getting an exclusive skin in the event that follows. While Blizzard has yet to reveal any sprays, voice lines, or anything else that might be coming to commemorate Stone By Stone, the final page of the short story features the skin that will be available in the game during the corresponding event.
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With Overwatch 2 on the way, Blizzard has been releasing more lore to make up for the lack of content coming to the original game in the meantime. Not only is this story here to expand on Zenyatta and Symmetra, Tracer is the in the middle of an ongoing comic series that’s two out of five issues in as of this writing. But the game isn’t only using short form work to tell its stories, as Blizzard is releasing novels set in its universe, as well. The first focused on Orisa, Lucio, and Doomfist, and an Amazon listing has hinted the next will focus on Ashe and McCree. We’ve got some suggestions for whatever’s next Blizzard, by the way.
All of this is seemingly leading into Overwatch 2 finally bringing an actual campaign to the series when it launches, which might be soon, based on some changes to the Overwatch League that imply the sequel might be out by April. Which is exciting, but also worrisome for fans who have thrived in the game’s minimal storytelling over the years.
