Blizzard Entertainment’s Pixar-esque Overwatch short films remind us that it is still the king of game cinematic animation. There are four short films in this season, each featuring a few different characters from Blizzard’s upcoming Team Fortress style pvp shooter ‘Overwatch’. The above film is ‘Dragon’, about the Shimada brothers. Via Inverse:
Like the other videos released so far, the fourth trailer in a series of cinematic videos stars a specific Overwatch character in his own independent, one-shot adventure. The other characters who have starred in their own cinematic trailers include fan favorites like Winston, Tracer, Widowmaker, Hanzo, and Genji.
Light on any actual gameplay information, these trailers instead focus on the lore and characterization of their large roster of playable champions.
With the final cinematic trailer, Blizzard might as well be teasing an entire cinematic universe based around their universally appealing characters. These stories are crafted with immense attention to detail and design that rival some of the best animated films currently released in full. This is only one avenue that is available to Blizzard if they’re looking to expand their Overwatch brand beyond their video game.
The other films in the set:
and of course the main cinematic trailer:
As part of its brand roll up leading towards the game’s release this week, Blizzard linked up with Droga5 to create a set of public installations globally, including a Tracer statue on Hollywood Boulevard, a Genji statue in Paris, and a third yet-to-be-seen statue in Busan, South Korea.