Overwatch McCree And Ashe Outlaw Backstory Filled In By Prequel Novel

A listing for the second Overwatch novel has surfaced and it will star Ashe and Jesse McCree, this time giving fans some backstory to the two outlaws. Overwatch has become an immense cultural phenomenon since it was released in 2016, and Blizzard Entertainment is more than happy to capitalize on the popularity of the game by expanding into other forms of media.

The first Overwatch novel, written by Nicky Drayden and published in June, is called The Hero Of Numbani and features Efi Oladele and her robot, Orisa. The story is set in the not-so-distant future in the technologically advanced city of Numbani, where omnics and humans live together peacefully. After Doomfist attacks the omnics in an attempt to break the unity apart in this African city, Efi rises against him with her intelligent creation, the robot tank character, Orisa. The second novel will feature the characters Elizabeth Caledonia “Calamity” Ashe, the leader of the Deadlock Gang and a respected outlaw, and Jesse McCree, a former member of the Deadlock Gang and newly turned around vigilante for justice.

The listing for the new book was found on Amazon France, according to Polygon. Blizzard Entertainment confirmed this listing as accurate, so fans will see this book published by Scholastic and released in 2021. Written by Lyndsay Ely, the book is a prequel to Overwatch, set in the American Southwest where gangs and criminals rule the land in the years just after the Omnic Crisis, and Ashe wants in on the action. When she is arrested (again) her distant and unsympathetic parents, full of old money, disinherit her from the family fortune. To steal back her birthright, she teams up with her omnic butler, B.O.B., who has essentially raised her, as well as the criminal delinquent Jesse McCree. The three troublemakers are thrown into an action-packed adventure that introduces the Deadlock Gang as it is founded, and digs into the origins of the heroes Ashe and McCree.

The game still receives updates from time to time while fans anxiously await the arrival of Overwatch 2. As well as the novels, a comic series about Tracer, one of the heroes from the game, is being released at present, with no set schedule. These comics coincide with Comic Book Events in the game where special challenges can be won and skins from the comic are awarded. On top of all this story canon, an Overwatch cookbook has been released too, filled with recipes inspired by the heroes of the game.

The novel is an original story from the Overwatch game team, so the novel could be considered as one giant heap of lore. Blizzard Entertainment has not hesitated to branch out into all media to make a bigger profit off their extremely popular game, although fans aren’t complaining. The first novel was well received, and with players hungry for more lore, it is expected that the second novel will do just as well.

Source: Polygon