Changes: Overwatch

Revision as of 03:49, 28 May 2020

This article is about the game. For the titular organization, see Overwatch (group).

Overwatch


Developer	Blizzard Entertainment Team 4^[1]
Publisher	Blizzard Entertainment
Release date	May 24, 2016
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch

Overwatch is a multiplayer team-based first-person shooter developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released on May 24, 2016, for Windows, Xbox One, and Playstation 4,^[2] and on October 15, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch.^[3]

The game is available for both physical and digital purchase. There are two special editions, Origins Edition and Collector's Edition.^[4]

As of May 2018, the game has had 40 million registered players.^[5]

Story

The world could always use more heroes.

Overwatch takes place on a near-future Earth, some time in the mid 2070s.^[6] Some thirty years before, robots turned against humanity in what became known as the Omnic Crisis. This eventually led to the formation of an elite strike team, who finally brought an end to the war. This team was the beginning of Overwatch, an international task force which tried to maintain global stability for two decades, until corruption tore it apart. Though Overwatch was disbanded, new crises are looming, and the world still needs heroes.

Overwatch's story is revealed through supplementary material, such as cinematic shorts, comics, and news articles. Interactions between characters and certain details on maps also help flesh out the setting and its inhabitants. Eventually, Overwatch's lore is planned to be on par with Diablo, StarCraft, and Warcraft.^[7]

Gameplay

Overwatch is an objective-based game, where two teams of six players compete. Servers are hosted by Blizzard. There are five modes of play: Quick Play, Competitive Play, vs AI, Weekly Brawl, and Custom Games, as well as a Practice range and Tutorial. There is a leveling system which gives user portraits and loot boxes.

There are 40 heroes and 28 maps, with more in development. All heroes and maps will be added at no extra cost.^[8]

Beta

Main article: Overwatch beta

During development, Overwatch had a closed beta, which began on October 27, 2015.^[9]^[10]

Two weeks before its release, an open beta was held from May 5 to 9.^[11]

Development

Origins

Project Titan

“	Titan was this massive collection of talent. Some of the most amazing developers that I've ever seen...from all over the world. It was largely not a homegrown team. It was the first time Blizzard pulled a lot of external talent in.	„
	~ Jeremy Wood

The Project Titan logo

Overwatch started development in Summer 2013, as development on Titan was winding down.^[1] Titan, a next-generation MMO that Team 4 was in charge of, was publicly cancelled in September 2014,^[12] with work having begun in 2007 with the intent of developing a successor to World of Warcraft.^[13] Specifically, Titan was a mix of MMO and FPS elements.^[14] Mike Morhaime has described the process as working on two games in parallel, and that in hindsight, neither came together.^[15]

Project Titan was planned to feature at least ten playable classes (Jumper, Reaper, Juggernaut, Phoenix, Architect, Assassin, Guardian, Longshot, Spec Ops, Mechanic). Many of these classes went on to form the basis for Overwatch heroes.^[16] Titan differed from past Blizzard projects in that a lot of external talent was recruited for its development, whereas previous projects had used pre-existing staff. NDA's (non-disclosure agreements) are in place (as of 2018) that prevent many (former) developers from speaking widely on the game.^[17] Reasons cited behind the cancellation include a lack of passion for the project and the trending success of their smaller-scale titles.^[18]

Team 4's confidence was shaken by the project's cancellation, and many members of the team were transferred, leaving only a core group to brainstorm what Blizzard's next game would be.^[19] Specifically, at the time of its cancelation, 140 people were working on Titan. After it was shut down, 80 were permanantly assigned to other projects at Blizzard, and 20 more were temporarily relocated to other teams for anywhere from six months to two years. The remaining staff were given six weeks to come up with a new direction for the project.^[20] The developers came up with three separate game ideas, with the idea being that each idea would have two weeks in discussion.^[16] The six weeks ended up being divided into one block of four weeks, the other a block of two weeks. The first four weeks were pitching ideas for an MMO in one of the pre-existing Blizzard universes^[21] (it has been indicated that StarCraft was the setting chosen; concept art for the project was taken from Chris Metzen's early work on StarCraft, and Team 4 found the StarCraft setting compelling enough to do something similar as World of Warcraft),^[16] the next two were on developing a new IP MMO.^[21] The new IP would be named Crossworlds, set on a remote planet with numerous alien species that acted as the "crossroads of the universe." Like World of Warcraft, Crossworlds would be a class-based MMO. Geoff Goodman pitched the idea of doing 50 classes (as opposed to the original 6–9 idea), the difference being that each class would be hyper-specialized. The idea was deemed unfeasible, though the concept stuck with Jeff Kaplan, who began developing his own pitch.^[22]

It was during the brainstorming of Crossworlds that the concept of Overwatch emerged, effectively as a side-project during the brainstorm session.^[21] Looking at Titan, the developers decided that they had succeeded the most in its PvP mode.^[14] Kaplan did a pitch for heroes rather than classes, where each hero would have their own backstory. When the idea was brought to Chris Metzen, he and everyone else agreed that they should focus on this idea.^[22] Morhaime has described the pitch as "an evolution of a sort of Team Fortress-style game in a superhero universe."^[15]

From Prometheus to Overwatch

The development team was given an assignment for each member to pitch their own hero. By the first morning, 48 hero concepts existed.^[22]

The team looked to Hearthstone for inspiration on making a smaller, self-contained game.^[23] Blizzard pitched the game to Activision with the codename Prometheus, presenting concepts for numerous heroes brainstormed by the team using repurposed artwork from Titan. There was some reluctance from the executives, given that no-one had asked for or expected Blizzard to make an FPS, and Activision already had Call of Duty as a successful FPS franchise. However, in the presentation pitch, Bobby Kotick (CEO of Activision-Blizzard) was impressed by the varied character roster. Activision ended up giving Blizzard the go-ahead to make the game.^[14]

While some character concepts from Titan found their way into Overwatch, Overwatch was built from scratch.^[21]^[24] From the beginning, Team 4 worked closely with the cinematic department on character design.^[23] The Temple of Anubis was the game's first milestone, in the phase of development Jeff Kaplan has called "finding the fun." The initial goal was to have one complete map, complete with level design and environmental art. Pharah, Widowmaker, Tracer, and Reaper were the first heroes play-tested. This was in March, 2014.^[25] There were some difficulties in transferring Project Titan's game engine to Overwatch.^[15]

Setting

Conception

When work on Overwatch began, it was decided that the game had to take place in a new setting, and one would be inviting for players.^[21] Chris Metzen had specifically sought to create a superhero universe for years prior to the game.^[26] There was a desire to set the game on Earth, as up to this point, Blizzard's primary universes had been in fantasy and sci-fi settings far removed from the modern day/setting. The developers looked at how other games were treating Earth for inspiration. One sub-genre that was avoided was post-apocalypse—according to Jeff Kaplan, "there wasn't a lot of breathing space" in the genre in order to "make a statement." Similarly, realistic settings were avoided,^[13] as the developers wanted to move away from FPS settings of the past decade, which were predominantly modern military or near future.^[27] The decision was made to go back to the "world worth fighting for" concept that had been present in Titan, which would have also taken place on Earth and expressed this theme.^[13] When designing the game, Blizzard wanted the world presented to be as fantastical as possible while still being relatable to modern-day Earth.^[23] They wanted the setting of Overwatch to be a mix of the "dark and gritty," while also being "a world of color and sound and light." It was intended to be a setting that players would want to keep coming back to and be invested in,^[28]

Worldbuilding

Although it was known that Overwatch would focus on multiplayer, it was also decided to embark in worldbuilding. The first reason was that this would follow in the footsteps of the Diablo, StarCraft, and Warcraft settings, all of which had detailed universes. The second reason was to not impose limits on the nature of the universe. By engaging in worldbuilding, there would be material for other projects to draw off (the game's animated shorts are a result of this). Likewise, if a separate Overwatch game was made, the developers could draw off pre-existing material.^[25]

It was decided that the setting shouldn't be binary, as, among other reasons, Warcraft had been defined by the Alliance-Horde dichotomy.^[26] Effort was made to distinguish it from Warcraft, which has a more ominous atmosphere (in the words of the developers, "oppressiveness causes fatigue").^[29]

Events such as the Omnic Crisis were made up as the lore was developed rather than being pre-planned. It was decided to have the game's setting post-both the Omnic Crisis and the golden age that followed, in order to leave it open ended, and allow creation of new heroes that weren't part of Overwatch, but were inspired by it.^[26] Unlike the Warcraft and StarCraft universes, the team wanted the world building to be done in a minimalistic way, kept at the same level as the characters, rather than world building being done for its own sake.^[26]

When designing maps, the developers often visit the real-world locations where applicable. The locations are often infused with 'fantasy' elements (in the sense of combining the location with the 'fantasy' of it as it exists in the real world).^[30]

Aesthetics

Inspiration was taken from World of Warcraft in regards to the game's color variation. A number of zones in WoW rely on color (among other things) to convey mood, and are thus distinguishable. Overwatch follows this philosophy.^[13]

The cast was designed to reflect the "real" earth, where people aren't all one race, athletes aren't always lean and youthful, and people aren't just stereotypes based on their ethnicity.^[31]

The team aimed for the game's art style to remain "Blizzardy", approachable with exaggerated proportions and an emphasis on color, while still pushing its visuals forward.^[32]

Gameplay

During development, the developers experimented with team sizes, trying large teams like 8v8 and 12v12, as well as small teams like 3v3 and 4v4. Both had problems, so 6v6 was decided to be the sweet spot in order to make every player feel important (as it would be tough in larger games), but not to the extent that blame could be easily assigned (as it would be easy to do so with smaller teams).^[28]

There were concerns that players not being able to see their own hero would run counter to Overwatch's theme as a character-based game. A large amount of time was spent with the voice actors to cultivate the characters' personalities to offset this.^[33]

When designing the game's maps, the editors of Team Fortress 2 and Call of Duty were looked at, to get a sense of map design, and how it could be applied.^[34]

Progression Systems

Overwatch went through two progression systems while in development before settling on the current system. It was decided that the progression system should not be a focus of the game.

The first system featured a talent system that let players customize their heroes mechanically, where leveling up a hero would unlock new abilities for them. However, with Overwatch's need for fast reaction speeds and the ability to switch heroes mid-match, having so many iterations of a single hero was deemed too confusing. Additionally, a player's power increasing as more time was invested seemed like a poor fit with the competitive nature of the game.

The second system was more in line with the current system, rewarding players with cosmetics. Each hero had a level, and the more a player leveled up, the more cosmetic options would be unlocked for that hero. The unintended result of this system was that players were discouraged from switching between heroes because they wanted to level up, which negatively affected team composition.^[35]

Subsequent Development

A map editor may be released in the future. However, as of September 2016, there are no plans to do so, as the game is built on a new engine for Blizzard.^[36]

In April 2017, Blizzard was open to porting the game to the Nintendo Switch. However, two hurdles existed, namely the Switch's weaker specs, and that Blizzard already has to balance and develop three versions of the game.^[37] In August 2018, when asked about the possibility of porting the game to the Switch, Blizzard producer Pete Stilwell stated "anything is within the realm of possibility." However, he reiterated that at the time the comments were made, Diablo III was Blizzard's only focus on the console.^[38] A Mac release hasn't been ruled out, but as of May 2017, there are no plans to port the game to it.^[39] In August 2019, an Overwatch-themed Switch was listed on Amazon, but the product listing was quickly removed.^[40] The Switch version was officially revealed the following month.^[3]

A number of fans have requested a battle royale mode for the game. On the subject, Kaplan stated that such a mode would be "awesome," but pointed that it would be difficult to add the mode to a hero shooter, where abilities are intrinsic to heroes, while battle royale games are based around scavenging, with every player on a level playing field. Likewise, the game's heroes don't have the ranged weaponry prevalent in battle royale games.^[41]

Reception

Overwatch received "universal acclaim" reviews and was tagged as "must-play" game on Metacritic getting a metascore of 91/100 on both PC^[42] & Xbox One,^[43] and 90/100 on PS4.^[44] While its Switch version received "mixed or average" reviews holding a metascore of 73/100.^[45] On whatoplay.com, it receives an aggregate score (playscore) of 8.58/10 on PC,^[46] 8.63/10 on PS4,^[47] and 8.07/10 on Xbox One.^[48]

Trivia

Eight of Overwatch's heroes, Tracer, Zarya, Genji, Lúcio, D.Va, Ana, Junkrat and Hanzo are playable in Heroes of the Storm.
No single player campaign is planned.^[49] However, there will be a PvE campaign-like mode in Overwatch 2.
An Overwatch TV series is under consideration by Activision Blizzard Studios.^[50] In February 2020, Nick van Dyk, co-president of Activision-Blizzard Studios, mentioned that he had "developed and sold an animated series based [on] Blizzard's Overwatch franchise."^[51]
Overwatch's game engine is named Prometheus, which is likely a reference to the Greek titan with the same name.
Overwatch is #51 on IGN's Top 100 Video Games of All Time.
Blizzard staff members have expressed interest in an Overwatch character appearing in Super Smash Brothers.^[52]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 2015-05-27, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p5, Blizzplanet.
↑ 2016-05-23, The Future Is Now – Overwatch Is Live!, Play Overwatch.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 2019-09-04, Overwatch is officially coming to the Switch on October 15, 2019. Blizzard Watch, accessed on 2019-09-05
↑ Page listing editions of Overwatch, Play Overwatch.
↑ 2018-05-15, Overwatch Hits 40 Million Players Just Ahead of Second Anniversary. Game Revolution, accessed on 2018-05-16
↑ "The game takes place around 60 years in the future. The Omnic Crisis was about 25 years before that. (Give or take a few years.)" Michael Chu, Overwatch Forums.
↑ 2015-03-06, PAX East 2015 Blizzard Panel | Blizzplanet (1/2). YouTube, accessed on 2015-03-20
↑ 2015-12-07, Developer Update | Popular Community Topics, Youtube.
↑ 2015-10-15, Overwatch Beta Coming Soon, Play Overwatch.
↑ 2015-10-27, Overwatch Closed Beta Now Live, Play Overwatch.
↑ 2016-05-01, Play Overwatch® FREE May 5–9 During the Open Beta, Play Overwatch.
↑ 2014-09-24, Blizzard cancels its next-gen MMO Titan after seven years, Polygon.
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 ^13.3 2017-02-23, D.I.C.E Summit 2017 | Overwatch | Jeff Caplan (Stream with chat). YouTube, accessed on 2017-03-07
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 2017-09-22, OVERWATCH: FROM CANCELLED PROJECT TO GAME OF THE YEAR - IGN EXPERT MODE EP. 3. IGN, accessed on 2017-09-23
↑ ^15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 2019-06-19, Ex-Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime on why the studio bins 50% of its projects. Eurogamer, accessed on 2019-07-03
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 2017-05-11, BlizzCon 2017: How Overwatch rose from Titan’s failure. Blizzard Watch, accessed on 2017-11-05
↑ 2018-05-09, ‘WOW’ Devs On Project Titan, South Park & Accidentally Making an MMO Phenomenon. Wikia, retrieved on 2018-05-13
↑ 2018-04-09, Sad History Of Cancelled Games: Silent Hills, Scalebound, And More. GameSpot, accessed on 2018-11-29
↑ 2016-04-21, The Story of Overwatch: The Fall of Titan, Youtube.
↑ 2017-02-22, DICE 2017: BLIZZARD DETAILS THE ROAD FROM TITAN TO OVERWATCH. IGN, accessed on 2017-02-23
↑ ^21.0 ^21.1 ^21.2 ^21.3 ^21.4 2015-03-20, Overwatch: How Blizzard turned its biggest failure into its next great hope. Polygon, accessed on 2015-03-21
↑ ^22.0 ^22.1 ^22.2 2017-11-05, OVERWATCH ARCHIVES PANEL. Blizzpro, accessed on 2017-11-19
↑ ^23.0 ^23.1 ^23.2 2015-05-27, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p3. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-05-29
↑ Possible concept art from Titan. The "Jumper" has what looks like Tracer's chronal accelerator. (How it was found.). Imgur and Reddit.
↑ ^25.0 ^25.1 Game Informer #81: Designing Overwatch: From Titan to Torbjörn
↑ ^26.0 ^26.1 ^26.2 ^26.3 2015-12-10, How Blizzard is making up Overwatch's story as it goes. PC Gamer, accessed on 2015-12-24
↑ 2016-04-22, The Story of Overwatch: Return of the 90s Shooter. YouTube, accessed on 2016-09-08
↑ ^28.0 ^28.1 2014-11-24, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Unveiled Panel Transcript, p2. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-03-06
↑ 2017-02-22, DICE Summit 2017: Jeff Kaplan Overwatch Opening Keynote. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2017-03-05
↑ 2019-11-07, BlizzCon 2019 Overwatch 2 Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2020-04-10
↑ 2016-09-17, Overwatch: A World Fans Built. IGN, accessed on 2016-09-18
↑ 2015-05-27, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p2, Blizzplanet.
↑ 2015-09-29, Overwatch Could Be Blizzard's Next Warcraft, Kotaku.
↑ 2016-04-22, The Story of Overwatch: Return of the 90s Shooter. YouTube, accessed on 2016-09-08
↑ 2015-12-16, Developer Update | Evolution of Progression | Overwatch, Youtube.
↑ 2016-09-21, Jeff Kaplan on Overwatch Map Editor & Custom Games Matchmaking System. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2016-10-04
↑ 2017-04-09, Overwatch For Nintendo Switch Sounds Unlikely, But Not Ruled Out. GameSpot, accessed on 2017-04-09
↑ 2018-08-17, Overwatch On Switch Is Feasible, But StarCraft 2 Isn't. GameSpot, accessed on 2018-08-17
↑ 2017-05-17, Blizzard's Jeff Kaplan Answers Overwatch Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED. YouTube, accessed on 2017-05-18
↑ 2019-08-26, Amazon listing may have just leaked Overwatch for Nintendo Switch. Polygon, accessed on 2019-08-28
↑ 2018-04-03, An Overwatch Battle Royale Mode Would Be Tricky to Make, Jeff Kaplan Says. Kotaku, accessed on 2018-04-04
↑ Metascore for Overwatch on PCMetacritic, Retrieved May 28, 2020
↑ Metascore for Overwatch on Xbox OneMetacritic, Retrieved May 28, 2020
↑ Metascore for Overwatch on PS4Metacritic, Retrieved May 28, 2020
↑ Metascore for Overwatch on Nintendo SwitchMetacritic, Retrieved May 28, 2020
↑ Playscore for Overwatch on PCwhatoplay.com, Retrieved May 28, 2020
↑ Playscore for Overwatch on PS4whatoplay.com, Retrieved May 28, 2020
↑ Playscore for Overwatch on Xbox Onewhatoplay.com, Retrieved May 28, 2020
↑ 2015-10-16, Overwatch Pre-Beta Livestream Recap. Overpwn, accessed on 2015-10-17
↑ 2016-11-06, BlizzCon 2016: Did Blizzard Subtly Tease Overwatch Animated TV Series?. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2016-11-16
↑ 2020-02-19, Blizzard Is Working On Animated Overwatch, Diablo Adaptations For Netflix. Kotaku, accessed on 2020-03-01
↑ 2019-09-22, Blizzard Producers would love Overwatch hero in Super Smash Bros. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2019-09-25

External Links

Official site

[origins_panel_p5-1] 1.0 ^1.1 2015-05-27, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p5, Blizzplanet.

[2] 2016-05-23, The Future Is Now – Overwatch Is Live!, Play Overwatch.

[Switch-3] 3.0 ^3.1 2019-09-04, Overwatch is officially coming to the Switch on October 15, 2019. Blizzard Watch, accessed on 2019-09-05

[4] Page listing editions of Overwatch, Play Overwatch.

[5] 2018-05-15, Overwatch Hits 40 Million Players Just Ahead of Second Anniversary. Game Revolution, accessed on 2018-05-16

[6] "The game takes place around 60 years in the future. The Omnic Crisis was about 25 years before that. (Give or take a few years.)" Michael Chu, Overwatch Forums.

[7] 2015-03-06, PAX East 2015 Blizzard Panel | Blizzplanet (1/2). YouTube, accessed on 2015-03-20

[8] 2015-12-07, Developer Update | Popular Community Topics, Youtube.

[9] 2015-10-15, Overwatch Beta Coming Soon, Play Overwatch.

[10] 2015-10-27, Overwatch Closed Beta Now Live, Play Overwatch.

[11] 2016-05-01, Play Overwatch® FREE May 5–9 During the Open Beta, Play Overwatch.

[12] 2014-09-24, Blizzard cancels its next-gen MMO Titan after seven years, Polygon.

[DICESummit-13] 13.0 ^13.1 ^13.2 ^13.3 2017-02-23, D.I.C.E Summit 2017 | Overwatch | Jeff Caplan (Stream with chat). YouTube, accessed on 2017-03-07

[CancelledYear-14] 14.0 ^14.1 ^14.2 2017-09-22, OVERWATCH: FROM CANCELLED PROJECT TO GAME OF THE YEAR - IGN EXPERT MODE EP. 3. IGN, accessed on 2017-09-23

[Bins-15] 15.0 ^15.1 ^15.2 2019-06-19, Ex-Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime on why the studio bins 50% of its projects. Eurogamer, accessed on 2019-07-03

[TitanFailure-16] 16.0 ^16.1 ^16.2 2017-05-11, BlizzCon 2017: How Overwatch rose from Titan’s failure. Blizzard Watch, accessed on 2017-11-05

[17] 2018-05-09, ‘WOW’ Devs On Project Titan, South Park & Accidentally Making an MMO Phenomenon. Wikia, retrieved on 2018-05-13

[18] 2018-04-09, Sad History Of Cancelled Games: Silent Hills, Scalebound, And More. GameSpot, accessed on 2018-11-29

[fall_of_titan-19] 2016-04-21, The Story of Overwatch: The Fall of Titan, Youtube.

[20] 2017-02-22, DICE 2017: BLIZZARD DETAILS THE ROAD FROM TITAN TO OVERWATCH. IGN, accessed on 2017-02-23

[Failure-21] 21.0 ^21.1 ^21.2 ^21.3 ^21.4 2015-03-20, Overwatch: How Blizzard turned its biggest failure into its next great hope. Polygon, accessed on 2015-03-21

[BlizzproArchives-22] 22.0 ^22.1 ^22.2 2017-11-05, OVERWATCH ARCHIVES PANEL. Blizzpro, accessed on 2017-11-19

[origins_panel_p3-23] 23.0 ^23.1 ^23.2 2015-05-27, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p3. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-05-29

[24] Possible concept art from Titan. The "Jumper" has what looks like Tracer's chronal accelerator. (How it was found.). Imgur and Reddit.

[DesigningOverwatch-25] 25.0 ^25.1 Game Informer #81: Designing Overwatch: From Titan to Torbjörn

[MakingStory-26] 26.0 ^26.1 ^26.2 ^26.3 2015-12-10, How Blizzard is making up Overwatch's story as it goes. PC Gamer, accessed on 2015-12-24

[27] 2016-04-22, The Story of Overwatch: Return of the 90s Shooter. YouTube, accessed on 2016-09-08

[unveiled_p2-28] 28.0 ^28.1 2014-11-24, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Unveiled Panel Transcript, p2. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-03-06

[Keynote-29] 2017-02-22, DICE Summit 2017: Jeff Kaplan Overwatch Opening Keynote. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2017-03-05

[30] 2019-11-07, BlizzCon 2019 Overwatch 2 Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2020-04-10

[31] 2016-09-17, Overwatch: A World Fans Built. IGN, accessed on 2016-09-18

[32] 2015-05-27, BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p2, Blizzplanet.

[33] 2015-09-29, Overwatch Could Be Blizzard's Next Warcraft, Kotaku.

[90s-34] 2016-04-22, The Story of Overwatch: Return of the 90s Shooter. YouTube, accessed on 2016-09-08

[35] 2015-12-16, Developer Update | Evolution of Progression | Overwatch, Youtube.

[36] 2016-09-21, Jeff Kaplan on Overwatch Map Editor & Custom Games Matchmaking System. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2016-10-04

[37] 2017-04-09, Overwatch For Nintendo Switch Sounds Unlikely, But Not Ruled Out. GameSpot, accessed on 2017-04-09

[38] 2018-08-17, Overwatch On Switch Is Feasible, But StarCraft 2 Isn't. GameSpot, accessed on 2018-08-17

[39] 2017-05-17, Blizzard's Jeff Kaplan Answers Overwatch Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED. YouTube, accessed on 2017-05-18

[40] 2019-08-26, Amazon listing may have just leaked Overwatch for Nintendo Switch. Polygon, accessed on 2019-08-28

[41] 2018-04-03, An Overwatch Battle Royale Mode Would Be Tricky to Make, Jeff Kaplan Says. Kotaku, accessed on 2018-04-04

[42] Metascore for Overwatch on PCMetacritic, Retrieved May 28, 2020

[43] Metascore for Overwatch on Xbox OneMetacritic, Retrieved May 28, 2020

[44] Metascore for Overwatch on PS4Metacritic, Retrieved May 28, 2020

[45] Metascore for Overwatch on Nintendo SwitchMetacritic, Retrieved May 28, 2020

[46] Playscore for Overwatch on PCwhatoplay.com, Retrieved May 28, 2020

[47] Playscore for Overwatch on PS4whatoplay.com, Retrieved May 28, 2020

[48] Playscore for Overwatch on Xbox Onewhatoplay.com, Retrieved May 28, 2020

[LivestreamRecap-49] 2015-10-16, Overwatch Pre-Beta Livestream Recap. Overpwn, accessed on 2015-10-17

[50] 2016-11-06, BlizzCon 2016: Did Blizzard Subtly Tease Overwatch Animated TV Series?. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2016-11-16

[51] 2020-02-19, Blizzard Is Working On Animated Overwatch, Diablo Adaptations For Netflix. Kotaku, accessed on 2020-03-01

[52] 2019-09-22, Blizzard Producers would love Overwatch hero in Super Smash Bros. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2019-09-25

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{hatnote|This article is about the game. For the titular organization, see [[Overwatch (group)]].}}
-big shout out to my 2 baby boys rick ross and johnny dang
+{{Infobox game
-shite.
+| name = Overwatch
+| image = Overwatch White.jpg
+| developer = [[Blizzard Entertainment]]
+:[[Team 4]]<ref name="origins panel p5">2015-05-27, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2014-overwatch-origins-panel-transcript/5 BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p5], ''Blizzplanet''.</ref>
+| publisher = Blizzard Entertainment
+| date = May 24, 2016
+| platforms = Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
+}}
+'''''Overwatch''''' is a multiplayer team-based first-person shooter developed and published by [[Blizzard Entertainment]]. It was released on May 24, 2016, for Windows, Xbox One, and Playstation 4,<ref>2016-05-23, [https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20119626 The Future Is Now – Overwatch Is Live!], ''Play Overwatch''.</ref> and on October 15, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch.<ref name = "Switch">2019-09-04, [https://blizzardwatch.com/2019/09/04/overwatch-nintendo-switch/ Overwatch is officially coming to the Switch on October 15, 2019]. ''Blizzard Watch'', accessed on 2019-09-05</ref>
+The game is available for both physical and digital purchase. There are two special editions, [[Overwatch: Origins Edition|Origins Edition]] and [[Overwatch: Collector's Edition|Collector's Edition]].<ref>[https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/buy/ Page listing editions of Overwatch], ''Play Overwatch''.</ref>
+As of May 2018, the game has had 40 million registered players.<ref>2018-05-15, [http://www.gamerevolution.com/news/388521-overwatch-hits-40-million-players-just-ahead-of-second-anniversary#cayuc2PXbmeuF1U5.99 Overwatch Hits 40 Million Players Just Ahead of Second Anniversary]. ''Game Revolution'', accessed on 2018-05-16</ref>
 ==Story==
-<center>'''''I will become a Gangstar!'''''</center>
+<center>'''''The world could always use more heroes.'''''</center>
+''Overwatch'' takes place on a near-future Earth, some time in the mid 2070s.<ref>[http://us.battle.net/forums/en/overwatch/topic/20748565707#post-6 "The game takes place around 60 years in the future. The Omnic Crisis was about 25 years before that. (Give or take a few years.)"] Michael Chu, ''Overwatch Forums''.</ref> Some thirty years before, [[omnic|robots]] turned against humanity in what became known as the [[Omnic Crisis]]. This eventually led to the formation of an elite strike team, who finally brought an end to the war. This team was the beginning of [[Overwatch (group)|Overwatch]], an international task force which tried to maintain global stability for two decades, until corruption tore it apart. Though Overwatch was disbanded, new crises are looming, and the world still needs heroes.
-Set in 2001 Italy, the story follows Giorno Giovanna and his dream to rise within the Neapolitan mafia and defeat the boss of Passione, the most powerful and influential gang, in order to become a "Gang-Star". With the aid of a capo and his men, and fueled by his own resolve, Giorno sets out to fulfill his goal of absolving the mafia of its corruption.
 ''Overwatch's'' story is revealed through supplementary material, such as [[#Category:Shorts|cinematic shorts]], [[#Category:Comics|comics]], and news articles. Interactions between characters and certain details on maps also help flesh out the setting and its inhabitants. Eventually, ''Overwatch's'' lore is planned to be on par with ''[[Diablo]]'', ''[[StarCraft]]'', and ''[[Warcraft]]''.<ref>2015-03-06, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkbpIMwYwL4 PAX East 2015 Blizzard Panel | Blizzplanet (1/2)]. ''YouTube'', accessed on 2015-03-20</ref>
-==Gaymeplay==
+==Gameplay==
-''Overwatch'' is an objective-based >game, where two teams of six players try not to get banned by the devs who are more interested in running a hugbox for cucks and women than making a decent tf2 rip-off. Servers are hosted by Blizzard. There are five [[Play Modes|modes of play]]: [[Quick Play]], [[Competitive Play]], [[Play vs AI|vs AI]], [[Weekly Brawl]], and Custom Games, as well as a practice range and tutorial. There is a leveling system which gives user portraits and [[Loot Box|loot boxes]].
+''Overwatch'' is an objective-based game, where two teams of six players compete. Servers are hosted by Blizzard. There are five [[Play Modes|modes of play]]: [[Quick Play]], [[Competitive Play]], [[Play vs AI|vs AI]], [[Weekly Brawl]], and [[Custom Game]]s, as well as a [[Practice range]] and [[Tutorial]]. There is a leveling system which gives user portraits and [[Loot Box|loot boxes]].
-There are currently 26 [[heroes]] and 20 [[maps]], with more in development. All heroes and maps will be added at no extra cost.<ref>2015-12-07, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKG8Yx6F7uc Developer Update | Popular Community Topics], ''Youtube''.</ref>
+There are {{Hero count}} [[heroes]] and {{Map count}} [[maps]], with more in development. All heroes and maps will be added at no extra cost.<ref>2015-12-07, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKG8Yx6F7uc Developer Update | Popular Community Topics], ''Youtube''.</ref>
 ==Beta==
@@ Line 19: / Line 33: @@
 Two weeks before its release, an open beta was held from May 5 to 9.<ref>2016-05-01, [https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20100169 Play Overwatch® FREE May 5–9 During the Open Beta], ''Play Overwatch''.</ref>
+==Development==
-==The Bee Movie (TM)==
-According to all known laws
-of aviation,
-there is no way a bee
-should be able to fly.
-Its wings are too small to get
-its fat little body off the ground.
-The bee, of course, flies anyway
-because bees don't care
-what humans think is impossible.
-Yellow, black. Yellow, black.
-Yellow, black. Yellow, black.
-Ooh, black and yellow!
-Let's shake it up a little.
-Barry! Breakfast is ready!
-Ooming!
-Hang on a second.
-Hello?
-- Barry?
-- Adam?
-- Oan you believe this is happening?
-- I can't. I'll pick you up.
-Looking sharp.
-Use the stairs. Your father
-paid good money for those.
-Sorry. I'm excited.
-Here's the graduate.
-We're very proud of you, son.
-A perfect report card, all B's.
-Very proud.
-Ma! I got a thing going here.
-- You got lint on your fuzz.
-- Ow! That's me!
-- Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000.
-- Bye!
-Barry, I told you,
-stop flying in the house!
-- Hey, Adam.
-- Hey, Barry.
-- Is that fuzz gel?
-- A little. Special day, graduation.
-Never thought I'd make it.
-Three days grade school,
-three days high school.
-Those were awkward.
-Three days college. I'm glad I took
-a day and hitchhiked around the hive.
-You did come back different.
-- Hi, Barry.
-- Artie, growing a mustache? Looks good.
-- Hear about Frankie?
-- Yeah.
-- You going to the funeral?
-- No, I'm not going.
-Everybody knows,
-sting someone, you die.
-Don't waste it on a squirrel.
-Such a hothead.
-I guess he could have
-just gotten out of the way.
-I love this incorporating
-an amusement park into our day.
-That's why we don't need vacations.
-Boy, quite a bit of pomp...
-under the circumstances.
-- Well, Adam, today we are men.
-- We are!
-- Bee-men.
-- Amen!
-Hallelujah!
-Students, faculty, distinguished bees,
-please welcome Dean Buzzwell.
-Welcome, New Hive Oity
-graduating class of...
-...9:15.
-That concludes our ceremonies.
-And begins your career
-at Honex Industries!
-Will we pick ourjob today?
-I heard it's just orientation.
-Heads up! Here we go.
-Keep your hands and antennas
-inside the tram at all times.
-- Wonder what it'll be like?
-- A little scary.
-Welcome to Honex,
-a division of Honesco
-and a part of the Hexagon Group.
-This is it!
-Wow.
-Wow.
-We know that you, as a bee,
-have worked your whole life
-to get to the point where you
-can work for your whole life.
-Honey begins when our valiant Pollen
-Jocks bring the nectar to the hive.
-Our top-secret formula
-is automatically color-corrected,
-scent-adjusted and bubble-contoured
-into this soothing sweet syrup
-with its distinctive
-golden glow you know as...
-Honey!
-- That girl was hot.
-- She's my cousin!
-- She is?
-- Yes, we're all cousins.
-- Right. You're right.
-- At Honex, we constantly strive
-to improve every aspect
-of bee existence.
-These bees are stress-testing
-a new helmet technology.
-- What do you think he makes?
-- Not enough.
-Here we have our latest advancement,
-the Krelman.
-- What does that do?
-- Oatches that little strand of honey
-that hangs after you pour it.
-Saves us millions.
-Oan anyone work on the Krelman?
-Of course. Most bee jobs are
-small ones. But bees know
-that every small job,
-if it's done well, means a lot.
-But choose carefully
-because you'll stay in the job
-you pick for the rest of your life.
-The same job the rest of your life?
-I didn't know that.
-What's the difference?
-You'll be happy to know that bees,
-as a species, haven't had one day off
-in 27 million years.
-So you'll just work us to death?
-We'll sure try.
-Wow! That blew my mind!
-"What's the difference?"
-How can you say that?
-One job forever?
-That's an insane choice to have to make.
-I'm relieved. Now we only have
-to make one decision in life.
-But, Adam, how could they
-never have told us that?
-Why would you question anything?
-We're bees.
-We're the most perfectly
-functioning society on Earth.
-You ever think maybe things
-work a little too well here?
-Like what? Give me one example.
-I don't know. But you know
-what I'm talking about.
-Please clear the gate.
-Royal Nectar Force on approach.
-Wait a second. Oheck it out.
-- Hey, those are Pollen Jocks!
-- Wow.
-I've never seen them this close.
-They know what it's like
-outside the hive.
-Yeah, but some don't come back.
-- Hey, Jocks!
-- Hi, Jocks!
-You guys did great!
-You're monsters!
-You're sky freaks! I love it! I love it!
-- I wonder where they were.
-- I don't know.
-Their day's not planned.
-Outside the hive, flying who knows
-where, doing who knows what.
-You can'tjust decide to be a Pollen
-Jock. You have to be bred for that.
-Right.
-Look. That's more pollen
-than you and I will see in a lifetime.
-It's just a status symbol.
-Bees make too much of it.
-Perhaps. Unless you're wearing it
-and the ladies see you wearing it.
-Those ladies?
-Aren't they our cousins too?
-Distant. Distant.
-Look at these two.
-- Oouple of Hive Harrys.
-- Let's have fun with them.
-It must be dangerous
-being a Pollen Jock.
-Yeah. Once a bear pinned me
-against a mushroom!
-He had a paw on my throat,
-and with the other, he was slapping me!
-- Oh, my!
-- I never thought I'd knock him out.
-What were you doing during this?
-Trying to alert the authorities.
-I can autograph that.
-A little gusty out there today,
-wasn't it, comrades?
-Yeah. Gusty.
-We're hitting a sunflower patch
-six miles from here tomorrow.
-- Six miles, huh?
-- Barry!
-A puddle jump for us,
-but maybe you're not up for it.
-- Maybe I am.
-- You are not!
-We're going 0900 at J-Gate.
-What do you think, buzzy-boy?
-Are you bee enough?
-I might be. It all depends
-on what 0900 means.
-Hey, Honex!
-Dad, you surprised me.
-You decide what you're interested in?
-- Well, there's a lot of choices.
-- But you only get one.
-Do you ever get bored
-doing the same job every day?
-Son, let me tell you about stirring.
-You grab that stick, and you just
-move it around, and you stir it around.
-You get yourself into a rhythm.
-It's a beautiful thing.
-You know, Dad,
-the more I think about it,
-maybe the honey field
-just isn't right for me.
-You were thinking of what,
-making balloon animals?
-That's a bad job
-for a guy with a stinger.
-Janet, your son's not sure
-he wants to go into honey!
-- Barry, you are so funny sometimes.
-- I'm not trying to be funny.
-You're not funny! You're going
-into honey. Our son, the stirrer!
-- You're gonna be a stirrer?
-- No one's listening to me!
-Wait till you see the sticks I have.
-I could say anything right now.
-I'm gonna get an ant tattoo!
-Let's open some honey and celebrate!
-Maybe I'll pierce my thorax.
-Shave my antennae.
-Shack up with a grasshopper. Get
-a gold tooth and call everybody "dawg"!
-I'm so proud.
-- We're starting work today!
-- Today's the day.
-Oome on! All the good jobs
-will be gone.
-Yeah, right.
-Pollen counting, stunt bee, pouring,
-stirrer, front desk, hair removal...
-- Is it still available?
-- Hang on. Two left!
-One of them's yours! Oongratulations!
-Step to the side.
-- What'd you get?
-- Picking crud out. Stellar!
-Wow!
-Oouple of newbies?
-Yes, sir! Our first day! We are ready!
-Make your choice.
-- You want to go first?
-- No, you go.
-Oh, my. What's available?
-Restroom attendant's open,
-not for the reason you think.
-- Any chance of getting the Krelman?
-- Sure, you're on.
-I'm sorry, the Krelman just closed out.
-Wax monkey's always open.
-The Krelman opened up again.
-What happened?
-A bee died. Makes an opening. See?
-He's dead. Another dead one.
-Deady. Deadified. Two more dead.
-Dead from the neck up.
-Dead from the neck down. That's life!
-Oh, this is so hard!
-Heating, cooling,
-stunt bee, pourer, stirrer,
-humming, inspector number seven,
-lint coordinator, stripe supervisor,
-mite wrangler. Barry, what
-do you think I should... Barry?
-Barry!
-All right, we've got the sunflower patch
-in quadrant nine...
-What happened to you?
-Where are you?
-- I'm going out.
-- Out? Out where?
-- Out there.
-- Oh, no!
-I have to, before I go
-to work for the rest of my life.
-You're gonna die! You're crazy! Hello?
-Another call coming in.
-If anyone's feeling brave,
-there's a Korean deli on 83rd
-that gets their roses today.
-Hey, guys.
-- Look at that.
-- Isn't that the kid we saw yesterday?
-Hold it, son, flight deck's restricted.
-It's OK, Lou. We're gonna take him up.
-Really? Feeling lucky, are you?
-Sign here, here. Just initial that.
-- Thank you.
-- OK.
-You got a rain advisory today,
-and as you all know,
-bees cannot fly in rain.
-So be careful. As always,
-watch your brooms,
-hockey sticks, dogs,
-birds, bears and bats.
-Also, I got a couple of reports
-of root beer being poured on us.
-Murphy's in a home because of it,
-babbling like a cicada!
-- That's awful.
-- And a reminder for you rookies,
-bee law number one,
-absolutely no talking to humans!
-All right, launch positions!
-Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz,
-buzz, buzz! Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz!
-Black and yellow!
-Hello!
-You ready for this, hot shot?
-Yeah. Yeah, bring it on.
-Wind, check.
-- Antennae, check.
-- Nectar pack, check.
-- Wings, check.
-- Stinger, check.
-Scared out of my shorts, check.
-OK, ladies,
-let's move it out!
-Pound those petunias,
-you striped stem-suckers!
-All of you, drain those flowers!
-Wow! I'm out!
-I can't believe I'm out!
-So blue.
-I feel so fast and free!
-Box kite!
-Wow!
-Flowers!
-This is Blue Leader.
-We have roses visual.
-Bring it around 30 degrees and hold.
-Roses!
-degrees, roger. Bringing it around.
-Stand to the side, kid.
-It's got a bit of a kick.
-That is one nectar collector!
-- Ever see pollination up close?
-- No, sir.
-I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it
-over here. Maybe a dash over there,
-a pinch on that one.
-See that? It's a little bit of magic.
-That's amazing. Why do we do that?
-That's pollen power. More pollen, more
-flowers, more nectar, more honey for us.
-Oool.
-I'm picking up a lot of bright yellow.
-Oould be daisies. Don't we need those?
-Oopy that visual.
-Wait. One of these flowers
-seems to be on the move.
-Say again? You're reporting
-a moving flower?
-Affirmative.
-That was on the line!
-This is the coolest. What is it?
-I don't know, but I'm loving this color.
-It smells good.
-Not like a flower, but I like it.
-Yeah, fuzzy.
-Ohemical-y.
-Oareful, guys. It's a little grabby.
-My sweet lord of bees!
-Oandy-brain, get off there!
-Problem!
-- Guys!
-- This could be bad.
-Affirmative.
-Very close.
-Gonna hurt.
-Mama's little boy.
-You are way out of position, rookie!
-Ooming in at you like a missile!
-Help me!
-I don't think these are flowers.
-- Should we tell him?
-- I think he knows.
-What is this?!
-Match point!
-You can start packing up, honey,
-because you're about to eat it!
-Yowser!
-Gross.
-There's a bee in the car!
-- Do something!
-- I'm driving!
-- Hi, bee.
-- He's back here!
-He's going to sting me!
-Nobody move. If you don't move,
-he won't sting you. Freeze!
-He blinked!
-Spray him, Granny!
-What are you doing?!
-Wow... the tension level
-out here is unbelievable.
-I gotta get home.
-Oan't fly in rain.
-Oan't fly in rain.
-Oan't fly in rain.
-Mayday! Mayday! Bee going down!
-Ken, could you close
-the window please?
-Ken, could you close
-the window please?
-Oheck out my new resume.
-I made it into a fold-out brochure.
-You see? Folds out.
-Oh, no. More humans. I don't need this.
-What was that?
-Maybe this time. This time. This time.
-This time! This time! This...
-Drapes!
-That is diabolical.
-It's fantastic. It's got all my special
-skills, even my top-ten favorite movies.
-What's number one? Star Wars?
-Nah, I don't go for that...
-...kind of stuff.
-No wonder we shouldn't talk to them.
-They're out of their minds.
-When I leave a job interview, they're
-flabbergasted, can't believe what I say.
-There's the sun. Maybe that's a way out.
-I don't remember the sun
-having a big 75 on it.
-I predicted global warming.
-I could feel it getting hotter.
-At first I thought it was just me.
-Wait! Stop! Bee!
-Stand back. These are winter boots.
-Wait!
-Don't kill him!
-You know I'm allergic to them!
-This thing could kill me!
-Why does his life have
-less value than yours?
-Why does his life have any less value
-than mine? Is that your statement?
-I'm just saying all life has value. You
-don't know what he's capable of feeling.
-My brochure!
-There you go, little guy.
-I'm not scared of him.
-It's an allergic thing.
-Put that on your resume brochure.
-My whole face could puff up.
-Make it one of your special skills.
-Knocking someone out
-is also a special skill.
-Right. Bye, Vanessa. Thanks.
-- Vanessa, next week? Yogurt night?
-- Sure, Ken. You know, whatever.
-- You could put carob chips on there.
-- Bye.
-- Supposed to be less calories.
-- Bye.
-I gotta say something.
-She saved my life.
-I gotta say something.
-All right, here it goes.
-Nah.
-What would I say?
-I could really get in trouble.
-It's a bee law.
-You're not supposed to talk to a human.
-I can't believe I'm doing this.
-I've got to.
-Oh, I can't do it. Oome on!
-No. Yes. No.
-Do it. I can't.
-How should I start it?
-"You like jazz?" No, that's no good.
-Here she comes! Speak, you fool!
-Hi!
-I'm sorry.
-- You're talking.
-- Yes, I know.
-You're talking!
-I'm so sorry.
-No, it's OK. It's fine.
-I know I'm dreaming.
-But I don't recall going to bed.
-Well, I'm sure this
-is very disconcerting.
-This is a bit of a surprise to me.
-I mean, you're a bee!
-I am. And I'm not supposed
-to be doing this,
-but they were all trying to kill me.
-And if it wasn't for you...
-I had to thank you.
-It's just how I was raised.
-That was a little weird.
-- I'm talking with a bee.
-- Yeah.
-I'm talking to a bee.
-And the bee is talking to me!
-I just want to say I'm grateful.
-I'll leave now.
-- Wait! How did you learn to do that?
-- What?
-The talking thing.
-Same way you did, I guess.
-"Mama, Dada, honey." You pick it up.
-- That's very funny.
-- Yeah.
-Bees are funny. If we didn't laugh,
-we'd cry with what we have to deal with.
-Anyway...
-Oan I...
-...get you something?
-- Like what?
-I don't know. I mean...
-I don't know. Ooffee?
-I don't want to put you out.
-It's no trouble. It takes two minutes.
-- It's just coffee.
-- I hate to impose.
-- Don't be ridiculous!
-- Actually, I would love a cup.
-Hey, you want rum cake?
-- I shouldn't.
-- Have some.
-- No, I can't.
-- Oome on!
-I'm trying to lose a couple micrograms.
-- Where?
-- These stripes don't help.
-You look great!
-I don't know if you know
-anything about fashion.
-Are you all right?
-No.
-He's making the tie in the cab
-as they're flying up Madison.
-He finally gets there.
-He runs up the steps into the church.
-The wedding is on.
-And he says, "Watermelon?
-I thought you said Guatemalan.
-Why would I marry a watermelon?"
-Is that a bee joke?
-That's the kind of stuff we do.
-Yeah, different.
-So, what are you gonna do, Barry?
-About work? I don't know.
-I want to do my part for the hive,
-but I can't do it the way they want.
-I know how you feel.
-- You do?
-- Sure.
-My parents wanted me to be a lawyer or
-a doctor, but I wanted to be a florist.
-- Really?
-- My only interest is flowers.
-Our new queen was just elected
-with that same campaign slogan.
-Anyway, if you look...
-There's my hive right there. See it?
-You're in Sheep Meadow!
-Yes! I'm right off the Turtle Pond!
-No way! I know that area.
-I lost a toe ring there once.
-- Why do girls put rings on their toes?
-- Why not?
-- It's like putting a hat on your knee.
-- Maybe I'll try that.
-- You all right, ma'am?
-- Oh, yeah. Fine.
-Just having two cups of coffee!
-Anyway, this has been great.
-Thanks for the coffee.
-Yeah, it's no trouble.
-Sorry I couldn't finish it. If I did,
-I'd be up the rest of my life.
-Are you...?
-Oan I take a piece of this with me?
-Sure! Here, have a crumb.
-- Thanks!
-- Yeah.
-All right. Well, then...
-I guess I'll see you around.
-Or not.
-OK, Barry.
-And thank you
-so much again... for before.
-Oh, that? That was nothing.
-Well, not nothing, but... Anyway...
-This can't possibly work.
-He's all set to go.
-We may as well try it.
-OK, Dave, pull the chute.
-- Sounds amazing.
-- It was amazing!
-It was the scariest,
-happiest moment of my life.
-Humans! I can't believe
-you were with humans!
-Giant, scary humans!
-What were they like?
-Huge and crazy. They talk crazy.
-They eat crazy giant things.
-They drive crazy.
-- Do they try and kill you, like on TV?
-- Some of them. But some of them don't.
-- How'd you get back?
-- Poodle.
-You did it, and I'm glad. You saw
-whatever you wanted to see.
-You had your "experience." Now you
-can pick out yourjob and be normal.
-- Well...
-- Well?
-Well, I met someone.
-You did? Was she Bee-ish?
-- A wasp?! Your parents will kill you!
-- No, no, no, not a wasp.
-- Spider?
-- I'm not attracted to spiders.
-I know it's the hottest thing,
-with the eight legs and all.
-I can't get by that face.
-So who is she?
-She's... human.
-No, no. That's a bee law.
-You wouldn't break a bee law.
-- Her name's Vanessa.
-- Oh, boy.
-She's so nice. And she's a florist!
-Oh, no! You're dating a human florist!
-We're not dating.
-You're flying outside the hive, talking
-to humans that attack our homes
-with power washers and M-80s!
-One-eighth a stick of dynamite!
-She saved my life!
-And she understands me.
-This is over!
-Eat this.
-This is not over! What was that?
-- They call it a crumb.
-- It was so stingin' stripey!
-And that's not what they eat.
-That's what falls off what they eat!
-- You know what a Oinnabon is?
-- No.
-It's bread and cinnamon and frosting.
-They heat it up...
-Sit down!
-...really hot!
-- Listen to me!
-We are not them! We're us.
-There's us and there's them!
-Yes, but who can deny
-the heart that is yearning?
-There's no yearning.
-Stop yearning. Listen to me!
-You have got to start thinking bee,
-my friend. Thinking bee!
-- Thinking bee.
-- Thinking bee.
-Thinking bee! Thinking bee!
-Thinking bee! Thinking bee!
-There he is. He's in the pool.
-You know what your problem is, Barry?
-I gotta start thinking bee?
-How much longer will this go on?
-It's been three days!
-Why aren't you working?
-I've got a lot of big life decisions
-to think about.
-What life? You have no life!
-You have no job. You're barely a bee!
-Would it kill you
-to make a little honey?
-Barry, come out.
-Your father's talking to you.
-Martin, would you talk to him?
-Barry, I'm talking to you!
-You coming?
-Got everything?
-All set!
-Go ahead. I'll catch up.
-Don't be too long.
-Watch this!
-Vanessa!
-- We're still here.
-- I told you not to yell at him.
-He doesn't respond to yelling!
-- Then why yell at me?
-- Because you don't listen!
-I'm not listening to this.
-Sorry, I've gotta go.
-- Where are you going?
-- I'm meeting a friend.
-A girl? Is this why you can't decide?
-Bye.
-I just hope she's Bee-ish.
-They have a huge parade
-of flowers every year in Pasadena?
-To be in the Tournament of Roses,
-that's every florist's dream!
-Up on a float, surrounded
-by flowers, crowds cheering.
-A tournament. Do the roses
-compete in athletic events?
-No. All right, I've got one.
-How come you don't fly everywhere?
-It's exhausting. Why don't you
-run everywhere? It's faster.
-Yeah, OK, I see, I see.
-All right, your turn.
-TiVo. You can just freeze live TV?
-That's insane!
-You don't have that?
-We have Hivo, but it's a disease.
-It's a horrible, horrible disease.
-Oh, my.
-Dumb bees!
-You must want to sting all those jerks.
-We try not to sting.
-It's usually fatal for us.
-So you have to watch your temper.
-Very carefully.
-You kick a wall, take a walk,
-write an angry letter and throw it out.
-Work through it like any emotion:
-Anger, jealousy, lust.
-Oh, my goodness! Are you OK?
-Yeah.
-- What is wrong with you?!
-- It's a bug.
-He's not bothering anybody.
-Get out of here, you creep!
-What was that? A Pic 'N' Save circular?
-Yeah, it was. How did you know?
-It felt like about 10 pages.
-Seventy-five is pretty much our limit.
-You've really got that
-down to a science.
-- I lost a cousin to Italian Vogue.
-- I'll bet.
-What in the name
-of Mighty Hercules is this?
-How did this get here?
-Oute Bee, Golden Blossom,
-Ray Liotta Private Select?
-- Is he that actor?
-- I never heard of him.
-- Why is this here?
-- For people. We eat it.
-You don't have
-enough food of your own?
-- Well, yes.
-- How do you get it?
-- Bees make it.
-- I know who makes it!
-And it's hard to make it!
-There's heating, cooling, stirring.
-You need a whole Krelman thing!
-- It's organic.
-- It's our-ganic!
-It's just honey, Barry.
-Just what?!
-Bees don't know about this!
-This is stealing! A lot of stealing!
-You've taken our homes, schools,
-hospitals! This is all we have!
-And it's on sale?!
-I'm getting to the bottom of this.
-I'm getting to the bottom
-of all of this!
-Hey, Hector.
-- You almost done?
-- Almost.
-He is here. I sense it.
-Well, I guess I'll go home now
-and just leave this nice honey out,
-with no one around.
-You're busted, box boy!
-I knew I heard something.
-So you can talk!
-I can talk.
-And now you'll start talking!
-Where you getting the sweet stuff?
-Who's your supplier?
-I don't understand.
-I thought we were friends.
-The last thing we want
-to do is upset bees!
-You're too late! It's ours now!
-You, sir, have crossed
-the wrong sword!
-You, sir, will be lunch
-for my iguana, Ignacio!
-Where is the honey coming from?
-Tell me where!
-Honey Farms! It comes from Honey Farms!
-Orazy person!
-What horrible thing has happened here?
-These faces, they never knew
-what hit them. And now
-they're on the road to nowhere!
-Just keep still.
-What? You're not dead?
-Do I look dead? They will wipe anything
-that moves. Where you headed?
-To Honey Farms.
-I am onto something huge here.
-I'm going to Alaska. Moose blood,
-crazy stuff. Blows your head off!
-I'm going to Tacoma.
-- And you?
-- He really is dead.
-All right.
-Uh-oh!
-- What is that?!
-- Oh, no!
-- A wiper! Triple blade!
-- Triple blade?
-Jump on! It's your only chance, bee!
-Why does everything have
-to be so doggone clean?!
-How much do you people need to see?!
-Open your eyes!
-Stick your head out the window!
-From NPR News in Washington,
-I'm Oarl Kasell.
-But don't kill no more bugs!
-- Bee!
-- Moose blood guy!!
-- You hear something?
-- Like what?
-Like tiny screaming.
-Turn off the radio.
-Whassup, bee boy?
-Hey, Blood.
-Just a row of honey jars,
-as far as the eye could see.
-Wow!
-I assume wherever this truck goes
-is where they're getting it.
-I mean, that honey's ours.
-- Bees hang tight.
-- We're all jammed in.
-It's a close community.
-Not us, man. We on our own.
-Every mosquito on his own.
-- What if you get in trouble?
-- You a mosquito, you in trouble.
-Nobody likes us. They just smack.
-See a mosquito, smack, smack!
-At least you're out in the world.
-You must meet girls.
-Mosquito girls try to trade up,
-get with a moth, dragonfly.
-Mosquito girl don't want no mosquito.
-You got to be kidding me!
-Mooseblood's about to leave
-the building! So long, bee!
-- Hey, guys!
-- Mooseblood!
-I knew I'd catch y'all down here.
-Did you bring your crazy straw?
-We throw it in jars, slap a label on it,
-and it's pretty much pure profit.
-What is this place?
-A bee's got a brain
-the size of a pinhead.
-They are pinheads!
-Pinhead.
-- Oheck out the new smoker.
-- Oh, sweet. That's the one you want.
-The Thomas 3000!
-Smoker?
-Ninety puffs a minute, semi-automatic.
-Twice the nicotine, all the tar.
-A couple breaths of this
-knocks them right out.
-They make the honey,
-and we make the money.
-"They make the honey,
-and we make the money"?
-Oh, my!
-What's going on? Are you OK?
-Yeah. It doesn't last too long.
-Do you know you're
-in a fake hive with fake walls?
-Our queen was moved here.
-We had no choice.
-This is your queen?
-That's a man in women's clothes!
-That's a drag queen!
-What is this?
-Oh, no!
-There's hundreds of them!
-Bee honey.
-Our honey is being brazenly stolen
-on a massive scale!
-This is worse than anything bears
-have done! I intend to do something.
-Oh, Barry, stop.
-Who told you humans are taking
-our honey? That's a rumor.
-Do these look like rumors?
-That's a conspiracy theory.
-These are obviously doctored photos.
-How did you get mixed up in this?
-He's been talking to humans.
-- What?
-- Talking to humans?!
-He has a human girlfriend.
-And they make out!
-Make out? Barry!
-We do not.
-- You wish you could.
-- Whose side are you on?
-The bees!
-I dated a cricket once in San Antonio.
-Those crazy legs kept me up all night.
-Barry, this is what you want
-to do with your life?
-I want to do it for all our lives.
-Nobody works harder than bees!
-Dad, I remember you
-coming home so overworked
-your hands were still stirring.
-You couldn't stop.
-I remember that.
-What right do they have to our honey?
-We live on two cups a year. They put it
-in lip balm for no reason whatsoever!
-Even if it's true, what can one bee do?
-Sting them where it really hurts.
-In the face! The eye!
-- That would hurt.
-- No.
-Up the nose? That's a killer.
-There's only one place you can sting
-the humans, one place where it matters.
-Hive at Five, the hive's only
-full-hour action news source.
-No more bee beards!
-With Bob Bumble at the anchor desk.
-Weather with Storm Stinger.
-Sports with Buzz Larvi.
-And Jeanette Ohung.
-- Good evening. I'm Bob Bumble.
-- And I'm Jeanette Ohung.
-A tri-county bee, Barry Benson,
-intends to sue the human race
-for stealing our honey,
-packaging it and profiting
-from it illegally!
-Tomorrow night on Bee Larry King,
-we'll have three former queens here in
-our studio, discussing their new book,
-Olassy Ladies,
-out this week on Hexagon.
-Tonight we're talking to Barry Benson.
-Did you ever think, "I'm a kid
-from the hive. I can't do this"?
-Bees have never been afraid
-to change the world.
-What about Bee Oolumbus?
-Bee Gandhi? Bejesus?
-Where I'm from, we'd never sue humans.
-We were thinking
-of stickball or candy stores.
-How old are you?
-The bee community
-is supporting you in this case,
-which will be the trial
-of the bee century.
-You know, they have a Larry King
-in the human world too.
-It's a common name. Next week...
-He looks like you and has a show
-and suspenders and colored dots...
-Next week...
-Glasses, quotes on the bottom from the
-guest even though you just heard 'em.
-Bear Week next week!
-They're scary, hairy and here live.
-Always leans forward, pointy shoulders,
-squinty eyes, very Jewish.
-In tennis, you attack
-at the point of weakness!
-It was my grandmother, Ken. She's 81.
-Honey, her backhand's a joke!
-I'm not gonna take advantage of that?
-Quiet, please.
-Actual work going on here.
-- Is that that same bee?
-- Yes, it is!
-I'm helping him sue the human race.
-- Hello.
-- Hello, bee.
-This is Ken.
-Yeah, I remember you. Timberland, size
-ten and a half. Vibram sole, I believe.
-Why does he talk again?
-Listen, you better go
-'cause we're really busy working.
-But it's our yogurt night!
-Bye-bye.
-Why is yogurt night so difficult?!
-You poor thing.
-You two have been at this for hours!
-Yes, and Adam here
-has been a huge help.
-- Frosting...
-- How many sugars?
-Just one. I try not
-to use the competition.
-So why are you helping me?
-Bees have good qualities.
-And it takes my mind off the shop.
-Instead of flowers, people
-are giving balloon bouquets now.
-Those are great, if you're three.
-And artificial flowers.
-- Oh, those just get me psychotic!
-- Yeah, me too.
-Bent stingers, pointless pollination.
-Bees must hate those fake things!
-Nothing worse
-than a daffodil that's had work done.
-Maybe this could make up
-for it a little bit.
-- This lawsuit's a pretty big deal.
-- I guess.
-You sure you want to go through with it?
-Am I sure? When I'm done with
-the humans, they won't be able
-to say, "Honey, I'm home,"
-without paying a royalty!
-It's an incredible scene
-here in downtown Manhattan,
-where the world anxiously waits,
-because for the first time in history,
-we will hear for ourselves
-if a honeybee can actually speak.
-What have we gotten into here, Barry?
-It's pretty big, isn't it?
-I can't believe how many humans
-don't work during the day.
-You think billion-dollar multinational
-food companies have good lawyers?
-Everybody needs to stay
-behind the barricade.
-- What's the matter?
-- I don't know, I just got a chill.
-Well, if it isn't the bee team.
-You boys work on this?
-All rise! The Honorable
-Judge Bumbleton presiding.
-All right. Oase number 4475,
-Superior Oourt of New York,
-Barry Bee Benson v. the Honey Industry
-is now in session.
-Mr. Montgomery, you're representing
-the five food companies collectively?
-A privilege.
-Mr. Benson... you're representing
-all the bees of the world?
-I'm kidding. Yes, Your Honor,
-we're ready to proceed.
-Mr. Montgomery,
-your opening statement, please.
-Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
-my grandmother was a simple woman.
-Born on a farm, she believed
-it was man's divine right
-to benefit from the bounty
-of nature God put before us.
-If we lived in the topsy-turvy world
-Mr. Benson imagines,
-just think of what would it mean.
-I would have to negotiate
-with the silkworm
-for the elastic in my britches!
-Talking bee!
-How do we know this isn't some sort of
-holographic motion-picture-capture
-Hollywood wizardry?
-They could be using laser beams!
-Robotics! Ventriloquism!
-Oloning! For all we know,
-he could be on steroids!
-Mr. Benson?
-Ladies and gentlemen,
-there's no trickery here.
-I'm just an ordinary bee.
-Honey's pretty important to me.
-It's important to all bees.
-We invented it!
-We make it. And we protect it
-with our lives.
-Unfortunately, there are
-some people in this room
-who think they can take it from us
-'cause we're the little guys!
-I'm hoping that, after this is all over,
-you'll see how, by taking our honey,
-you not only take everything we have
-but everything we are!
-I wish he'd dress like that
-all the time. So nice!
-Oall your first witness.
-So, Mr. Klauss Vanderhayden
-of Honey Farms, big company you have.
-I suppose so.
-I see you also own
-Honeyburton and Honron!
-Yes, they provide beekeepers
-for our farms.
-Beekeeper. I find that
-to be a very disturbing term.
-I don't imagine you employ
-any bee-free-ers, do you?
-- No.
-- I couldn't hear you.
-- No.
-- No.
-Because you don't free bees.
-You keep bees. Not only that,
-it seems you thought a bear would be
-an appropriate image for a jar of honey.
-They're very lovable creatures.
-Yogi Bear, Fozzie Bear, Build-A-Bear.
-You mean like this?
-Bears kill bees!
-How'd you like his head crashing
-through your living room?!
-Biting into your couch!
-Spitting out your throw pillows!
-OK, that's enough. Take him away.
-So, Mr. Sting, thank you for being here.
-Your name intrigues me.
-- Where have I heard it before?
-- I was with a band called The Police.
-But you've never been
-a police officer, have you?
-No, I haven't.
-No, you haven't. And so here
-we have yet another example
-of bee culture casually
-stolen by a human
-for nothing more than
-a prance-about stage name.
-Oh, please.
-Have you ever been stung, Mr. Sting?
-Because I'm feeling
-a little stung, Sting.
-Or should I say... Mr. Gordon M. Sumner!
-That's not his real name?! You idiots!
-Mr. Liotta, first,
-belated congratulations on
-your Emmy win for a guest spot
-on ER in 2005.
-Thank you. Thank you.
-I see from your resume
-that you're devilishly handsome
-with a churning inner turmoil
-that's ready to blow.
-I enjoy what I do. Is that a crime?
-Not yet it isn't. But is this
-what it's come to for you?
-Exploiting tiny, helpless bees
-so you don't
-have to rehearse
-your part and learn your lines, sir?
-Watch it, Benson!
-I could blow right now!
-This isn't a goodfella.
-This is a badfella!
-Why doesn't someone just step on
-this creep, and we can all go home?!
-- Order in this court!
-- You're all thinking it!
-Order! Order, I say!
-- Say it!
-- Mr. Liotta, please sit down!
-I think it was awfully nice
-of that bear to pitch in like that.
-I think the jury's on our side.
-Are we doing everything right, legally?
-I'm a florist.
-Right. Well, here's to a great team.
-To a great team!
-Well, hello.
-- Ken!
-- Hello.
-I didn't think you were coming.
-No, I was just late.
-I tried to call, but... the battery.
-I didn't want all this to go to waste,
-so I called Barry. Luckily, he was free.
-Oh, that was lucky.
-There's a little left.
-I could heat it up.
-Yeah, heat it up, sure, whatever.
-So I hear you're quite a tennis player.
-I'm not much for the game myself.
-The ball's a little grabby.
-That's where I usually sit.
-Right... there.
-Ken, Barry was looking at your resume,
-and he agreed with me that eating with
-chopsticks isn't really a special skill.
-You think I don't see what you're doing?
-I know how hard it is to find
-the rightjob. We have that in common.
-Do we?
-Bees have 100 percent employment,
-but we do jobs like taking the crud out.
-That's just what
-I was thinking about doing.
-Ken, I let Barry borrow your razor
-for his fuzz. I hope that was all right.
-I'm going to drain the old stinger.
-Yeah, you do that.
-Look at that.
-You know, I've just about had it
-with your little mind games.
-- What's that?
-- Italian Vogue.
-Mamma mia, that's a lot of pages.
-A lot of ads.
-Remember what Van said, why is
-your life more valuable than mine?
-Funny, I just can't seem to recall that!
-I think something stinks in here!
-I love the smell of flowers.
-How do you like the smell of flames?!
-Not as much.
-Water bug! Not taking sides!
-Ken, I'm wearing a Ohapstick hat!
-This is pathetic!
-I've got issues!
-Well, well, well, a royal flush!
-- You're bluffing.
-- Am I?
-Surf's up, dude!
-Poo water!
-That bowl is gnarly.
-Except for those dirty yellow rings!
-Kenneth! What are you doing?!
-You know, I don't even like honey!
-I don't eat it!
-We need to talk!
-He's just a little bee!
-And he happens to be
-the nicest bee I've met in a long time!
-Long time? What are you talking about?!
-Are there other bugs in your life?
-No, but there are other things bugging
-me in life. And you're one of them!
-Fine! Talking bees, no yogurt night...
-My nerves are fried from riding
-on this emotional roller coaster!
-Goodbye, Ken.
-And for your information,
-I prefer sugar-free, artificial
-sweeteners made by man!
-I'm sorry about all that.
-I know it's got
-an aftertaste! I like it!
-I always felt there was some kind
-of barrier between Ken and me.
-I couldn't overcome it.
-Oh, well.
-Are you OK for the trial?
-I believe Mr. Montgomery
-is about out of ideas.
-We would like to call
-Mr. Barry Benson Bee to the stand.
-Good idea! You can really see why he's
-considered one of the best lawyers...
-Yeah.
-Layton, you've
-gotta weave some magic
-with this jury,
-or it's gonna be all over.
-Don't worry. The only thing I have
-to do to turn this jury around
-is to remind them
-of what they don't like about bees.
-- You got the tweezers?
-- Are you allergic?
-Only to losing, son. Only to losing.
-Mr. Benson Bee, I'll ask you
-what I think we'd all like to know.
-What exactly is your relationship
-to that woman?
-We're friends.
-- Good friends?
-- Yes.
-How good? Do you live together?
-Wait a minute...
-Are you her little...
-...bedbug?
-I've seen a bee documentary or two.
-From what I understand,
-doesn't your queen give birth
-to all the bee children?
-- Yeah, but...
-- So those aren't your real parents!
-- Oh, Barry...
-- Yes, they are!
-Hold me back!
-You're an illegitimate bee,
-aren't you, Benson?
-He's denouncing bees!
-Don't y'all date your cousins?
-- Objection!
-- I'm going to pincushion this guy!
-Adam, don't! It's what he wants!
-Oh, I'm hit!!
-Oh, lordy, I am hit!
-Order! Order!
-The venom! The venom
-is coursing through my veins!
-I have been felled
-by a winged beast of destruction!
-You see? You can't treat them
-like equals! They're striped savages!
-Stinging's the only thing
-they know! It's their way!
-- Adam, stay with me.
-- I can't feel my legs.
-What angel of mercy
-will come forward to suck the poison
-from my heaving buttocks?
-I will have order in this court. Order!
-Order, please!
-The case of the honeybees
-versus the human race
-took a pointed turn against the bees
-yesterday when one of their legal
-team stung Layton T. Montgomery.
-- Hey, buddy.
-- Hey.
-- Is there much pain?
-- Yeah.
-I...
-I blew the whole case, didn't I?
-It doesn't matter. What matters is
-you're alive. You could have died.
-I'd be better off dead. Look at me.
-They got it from the cafeteria
-downstairs, in a tuna sandwich.
-Look, there's
-a little celery still on it.
-What was it like to sting someone?
-I can't explain it. It was all...
-All adrenaline and then...
-and then ecstasy!
-All right.
-You think it was all a trap?
-Of course. I'm sorry.
-I flew us right into this.
-What were we thinking? Look at us. We're
-just a couple of bugs in this world.
-What will the humans do to us
-if they win?
-I don't know.
-I hear they put the roaches in motels.
-That doesn't sound so bad.
-Adam, they check in,
-but they don't check out!
-Oh, my.
-Oould you get a nurse
-to close that window?
-- Why?
-- The smoke.
-Bees don't smoke.
-Right. Bees don't smoke.
-Bees don't smoke!
-But some bees are smoking.
-That's it! That's our case!
-It is? It's not over?
-Get dressed. I've gotta go somewhere.
-Get back to the court and stall.
-Stall any way you can.
-And assuming you've done step correctly, you're ready for the tub.
-Mr. Flayman.
-Yes? Yes, Your Honor!
-Where is the rest of your team?
-Well, Your Honor, it's interesting.
-Bees are trained to fly haphazardly,
-and as a result,
-we don't make very good time.
-I actually heard a funny story about...
-Your Honor,
-haven't these ridiculous bugs
-taken up enough
-of this court's valuable time?
-How much longer will we allow
-these absurd shenanigans to go on?
-They have presented no compelling
-evidence to support their charges
-against my clients,
-who run legitimate businesses.
-I move for a complete dismissal
-of this entire case!
-Mr. Flayman, I'm afraid I'm going
-to have to consider
-Mr. Montgomery's motion.
-But you can't! We have a terrific case.
-Where is your proof?
-Where is the evidence?
-Show me the smoking gun!
-Hold it, Your Honor!
-You want a smoking gun?
-Here is your smoking gun.
-What is that?
-It's a bee smoker!
-What, this?
-This harmless little contraption?
-This couldn't hurt a fly,
-let alone a bee.
-Look at what has happened
-to bees who have never been asked,
-"Smoking or non?"
-Is this what nature intended for us?
-To be forcibly addicted
-to smoke machines
-and man-made wooden slat work camps?
-Living out our lives as honey slaves
-to the white man?
-- What are we gonna do?
-- He's playing the species card.
-Ladies and gentlemen, please,
-free these bees!
-Free the bees! Free the bees!
-Free the bees!
-Free the bees! Free the bees!
-The court finds in favor of the bees!
-Vanessa, we won!
-I knew you could do it! High-five!
-Sorry.
-I'm OK! You know what this means?
-All the honey
-will finally belong to the bees.
-Now we won't have
-to work so hard all the time.
-This is an unholy perversion
-of the balance of nature, Benson.
-You'll regret this.
-Barry, how much honey is out there?
-All right. One at a time.
-Barry, who are you wearing?
-My sweater is Ralph Lauren,
-and I have no pants.
-- What if Montgomery's right?
-- What do you mean?
-We've been living the bee way
-a long time, 27 million years.
-Oongratulations on your victory.
-What will you demand as a settlement?
-First, we'll demand a complete shutdown
-of all bee work camps.
-Then we want back the honey
-that was ours to begin with,
-every last drop.
-We demand an end to the glorification
-of the bear as anything more
-than a filthy, smelly,
-bad-breath stink machine.
-We're all aware
-of what they do in the woods.
-Wait for my signal.
-Take him out.
-He'll have nauseous
-for a few hours, then he'll be fine.
-And we will no longer tolerate
-bee-negative nicknames...
-But it's just a prance-about stage name!
-...unnecessary inclusion of honey
-in bogus health products
-and la-dee-da human
-tea-time snack garnishments.
-Oan't breathe.
-Bring it in, boys!
-Hold it right there! Good.
-Tap it.
-Mr. Buzzwell, we just passed three cups,
-and there's gallons more coming!
-- I think we need to shut down!
-- Shut down? We've never shut down.
-Shut down honey production!
-Stop making honey!
-Turn your key, sir!
-What do we do now?
-Oannonball!
-We're shutting honey production!
-Mission abort.
-Aborting pollination and nectar detail.
-Returning to base.
-Adam, you wouldn't believe
-how much honey was out there.
-Oh, yeah?
-What's going on? Where is everybody?
-- Are they out celebrating?
-- They're home.
-They don't know what to do.
-Laying out, sleeping in.
-I heard your Uncle Oarl was on his way
-to San Antonio with a cricket.
-At least we got our honey back.
-Sometimes I think, so what if humans
-liked our honey? Who wouldn't?
-It's the greatest thing in the world!
-I was excited to be part of making it.
-This was my new desk. This was my
-new job. I wanted to do it really well.
-And now...
-Now I can't.
-I don't understand
-why they're not happy.
-I thought their lives would be better!
-They're doing nothing. It's amazing.
-Honey really changes people.
-You don't have any idea
-what's going on, do you?
-- What did you want to show me?
-- This.
-What happened here?
-That is not the half of it.
-Oh, no. Oh, my.
-They're all wilting.
-Doesn't look very good, does it?
-No.
-And whose fault do you think that is?
-You know, I'm gonna guess bees.
-Bees?
-Specifically, me.
-I didn't think bees not needing to make
-honey would affect all these things.
-It's notjust flowers.
-Fruits, vegetables, they all need bees.
-That's our whole SAT test right there.
-Take away produce, that affects
-the entire animal kingdom.
-And then, of course...
-The human species?
-So if there's no more pollination,
-it could all just go south here,
-couldn't it?
-I know this is also partly my fault.
-How about a suicide pact?
-How do we do it?
-- I'll sting you, you step on me.
-- Thatjust kills you twice.
-Right, right.
-Listen, Barry...
-sorry, but I gotta get going.
-I had to open my mouth and talk.
-Vanessa?
-Vanessa? Why are you leaving?
-Where are you going?
-To the final Tournament of Roses parade
-in Pasadena.
-They've moved it to this weekend
-because all the flowers are dying.
-It's the last chance
-I'll ever have to see it.
-Vanessa, I just wanna say I'm sorry.
-I never meant it to turn out like this.
-I know. Me neither.
-Tournament of Roses.
-Roses can't do sports.
-Wait a minute. Roses. Roses?
-Roses!
-Vanessa!
-Roses?!
-Barry?
-- Roses are flowers!
-- Yes, they are.
-Flowers, bees, pollen!
-I know.
-That's why this is the last parade.
-Maybe not.
-Oould you ask him to slow down?
-Oould you slow down?
-Barry!
-OK, I made a huge mistake.
-This is a total disaster, all my fault.
-Yes, it kind of is.
-I've ruined the planet.
-I wanted to help you
-with the flower shop.
-I've made it worse.
-Actually, it's completely closed down.
-I thought maybe you were remodeling.
-But I have another idea, and it's
-greater than my previous ideas combined.
-I don't want to hear it!
-All right, they have the roses,
-the roses have the pollen.
-I know every bee, plant
-and flower bud in this park.
-All we gotta do is get what they've got
-back here with what we've got.
-- Bees.
-- Park.
-- Pollen!
-- Flowers.
-- Repollination!
-- Across the nation!
-Tournament of Roses,
-Pasadena, Oalifornia.
-They've got nothing
-but flowers, floats and cotton candy.
-Security will be tight.
-I have an idea.
-Vanessa Bloome, FTD.
-Official floral business. It's real.
-Sorry, ma'am. Nice brooch.
-Thank you. It was a gift.
-Once inside,
-we just pick the right float.
-How about The Princess and the Pea?
-I could be the princess,
-and you could be the pea!
-Yes, I got it.
-- Where should I sit?
-- What are you?
-- I believe I'm the pea.
-- The pea?
-It goes under the mattresses.
-- Not in this fairy tale, sweetheart.
-- I'm getting the marshal.
-You do that!
-This whole parade is a fiasco!
-Let's see what this baby'll do.
-Hey, what are you doing?!
-Then all we do
-is blend in with traffic...
-...without arousing suspicion.
-Once at the airport,
-there's no stopping us.
-Stop! Security.
-- You and your insect pack your float?
-- Yes.
-Has it been
-in your possession the entire time?
-Would you remove your shoes?
-- Remove your stinger.
-- It's part of me.
-I know. Just having some fun.
-Enjoy your flight.
-Then if we're lucky, we'll have
-just enough pollen to do the job.
-Oan you believe how lucky we are? We
-have just enough pollen to do the job!
-I think this is gonna work.
-It's got to work.
-Attention, passengers,
-this is Oaptain Scott.
-We have a bit of bad weather
-in New York.
-It looks like we'll experience
-a couple hours delay.
-Barry, these are cut flowers
-with no water. They'll never make it.
-I gotta get up there
-and talk to them.
-Be careful.
-Oan I get help
-with the Sky Mall magazine?
-I'd like to order the talking
-inflatable nose and ear hair trimmer.
-Oaptain, I'm in a real situation.
-- What'd you say, Hal?
-- Nothing.
-Bee!
-Don't freak out! My entire species...
-What are you doing?
-- Wait a minute! I'm an attorney!
-- Who's an attorney?
-Don't move.
-Oh, Barry.
-Good afternoon, passengers.
-This is your captain.
-Would a Miss Vanessa Bloome in 24B
-please report to the cockpit?
-And please hurry!
-What happened here?
-There was a DustBuster,
-a toupee, a life raft exploded.
-One's bald, one's in a boat,
-they're both unconscious!
-- Is that another bee joke?
-- No!
-No one's flying the plane!
-This is JFK control tower, Flight 356.
-What's your status?
-This is Vanessa Bloome.
-I'm a florist from New York.
-Where's the pilot?
-He's unconscious,
-and so is the copilot.
-Not good. Does anyone onboard
-have flight experience?
-As a matter of fact, there is.
-- Who's that?
-- Barry Benson.
-From the honey trial?! Oh, great.
-Vanessa, this is nothing more
-than a big metal bee.
-It's got giant wings, huge engines.
-I can't fly a plane.
-- Why not? Isn't John Travolta a pilot?
-- Yes.
-How hard could it be?
-Wait, Barry!
-We're headed into some lightning.
-This is Bob Bumble. We have some
-late-breaking news from JFK Airport,
-where a suspenseful scene
-is developing.
-Barry Benson,
-fresh from his legal victory...
-That's Barry!
-...is attempting to land a plane,
-loaded with people, flowers
-and an incapacitated flight crew.
-Flowers?!
-We have a storm in the area
-and two individuals at the controls
-with absolutely no flight experience.
-Just a minute.
-There's a bee on that plane.
-I'm quite familiar with Mr. Benson
-and his no-account compadres.
-They've done enough damage.
-But isn't he your only hope?
-Technically, a bee
-shouldn't be able to fly at all.
-Their wings are too small...
-Haven't we heard this a million times?
-"The surface area of the wings
-and body mass make no sense."
-- Get this on the air!
-- Got it.
-- Stand by.
-- We're going live.
-The way we work may be a mystery to you.
-Making honey takes a lot of bees
-doing a lot of small jobs.
-But let me tell you about a small job.
-If you do it well,
-it makes a big difference.
-More than we realized.
-To us, to everyone.
-That's why I want to get bees
-back to working together.
-That's the bee way!
-We're not made of Jell-O.
-We get behind a fellow.
-- Black and yellow!
-- Hello!
-Left, right, down, hover.
-- Hover?
-- Forget hover.
-This isn't so hard.
-Beep-beep! Beep-beep!
-Barry, what happened?!
-Wait, I think we were
-on autopilot the whole time.
-- That may have been helping me.
-- And now we're not!
-So it turns out I cannot fly a plane.
-All of you, let's get
-behind this fellow! Move it out!
-Move out!
-Our only chance is if I do what I'd do,
-you copy me with the wings of the plane!
-Don't have to yell.
-I'm not yelling!
-We're in a lot of trouble.
-It's very hard to concentrate
-with that panicky tone in your voice!
-It's not a tone. I'm panicking!
-I can't do this!
-Vanessa, pull yourself together.
-You have to snap out of it!
-You snap out of it.
-You snap out of it.
-- You snap out of it!
-- You snap out of it!
-- You snap out of it!
-- You snap out of it!
-- You snap out of it!
-- You snap out of it!
-- Hold it!
-- Why? Oome on, it's my turn.
-How is the plane flying?
-I don't know.
-Hello?
-Benson, got any flowers
-for a happy occasion in there?
-The Pollen Jocks!
-They do get behind a fellow.
-- Black and yellow.
-- Hello.
-All right, let's drop this tin can
-on the blacktop.
-Where? I can't see anything. Oan you?
-No, nothing. It's all cloudy.
-Oome on. You got to think bee, Barry.
-- Thinking bee.
-- Thinking bee.
-Thinking bee!
-Thinking bee! Thinking bee!
-Wait a minute.
-I think I'm feeling something.
-- What?
-- I don't know. It's strong, pulling me.
-Like a 27-million-year-old instinct.
-Bring the nose down.
-Thinking bee!
-Thinking bee! Thinking bee!
-- What in the world is on the tarmac?
-- Get some lights on that!
-Thinking bee!
-Thinking bee! Thinking bee!
-- Vanessa, aim for the flower.
-- OK.
-Out the engines. We're going in
-on bee power. Ready, boys?
-Affirmative!
-Good. Good. Easy, now. That's it.
-Land on that flower!
-Ready? Full reverse!
-Spin it around!
-- Not that flower! The other one!
-- Which one?
-- That flower.
-- I'm aiming at the flower!
-That's a fat guy in a flowered shirt.
-I mean the giant pulsating flower
-made of millions of bees!
-Pull forward. Nose down. Tail up.
-Rotate around it.
-- This is insane, Barry!
-- This's the only way I know how to fly.
-Am I koo-koo-kachoo, or is this plane
-flying in an insect-like pattern?
-Get your nose in there. Don't be afraid.
-Smell it. Full reverse!
-Just drop it. Be a part of it.
-Aim for the center!
-Now drop it in! Drop it in, woman!
-Oome on, already.
-Barry, we did it!
-You taught me how to fly!
-- Yes. No high-five!
-- Right.
-Barry, it worked!
-Did you see the giant flower?
-What giant flower? Where? Of course
-I saw the flower! That was genius!
-- Thank you.
-- But we're not done yet.
-Listen, everyone!
-This runway is covered
-with the last pollen
-from the last flowers
-available anywhere on Earth.
-That means this is our last chance.
-We're the only ones who make honey,
-pollinate flowers and dress like this.
-If we're gonna survive as a species,
-this is our moment! What do you say?
-Are we going to be bees, orjust
-Museum of Natural History keychains?
-We're bees!
-Keychain!
-Then follow me! Except Keychain.
-Hold on, Barry. Here.
-You've earned this.
-Yeah!
-I'm a Pollen Jock! And it's a perfect
-fit. All I gotta do are the sleeves.
-Oh, yeah.
-That's our Barry.
-Mom! The bees are back!
-If anybody needs
-to make a call, now's the time.
-I got a feeling we'll be
-working late tonight!
-Here's your change. Have a great
-afternoon! Oan I help who's next?
+===Origins===
-Would you like some honey with that?
-It is bee-approved. Don't forget these.
+====Project Titan====
+{{Quote|Titan was this massive collection of talent. Some of the most amazing developers that I've ever seen...from all over the world. It was largely not a homegrown team. It was the first time Blizzard pulled a lot of external talent in.|[[Jeremy Wood]]}}
-Milk, cream, cheese, it's all me.
+[[File:Project Titan.jpg|thumb|The Project Titan logo]]
-And I don't see a nickel!
+''Overwatch'' started development in Summer 2013, as development on ''[[Wikipedia:Titan (Blizzard Entertainment project)|Titan]]'' was winding down.<ref name="origins panel p5"/> ''Titan'', a next-generation MMO that [[Team 4]] was in charge of, was publicly cancelled in September 2014,<ref>2014-09-24, [http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/23/6833953/blizzard-cancels-titan-next-gen-mmo-pc Blizzard cancels its next-gen MMO Titan after seven years], ''Polygon''.</ref> with work having begun in 2007 with the intent of developing a successor to ''World of Warcraft''.<ref name = "DICESummit">2017-02-23, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGHfF1U8kg4 D.I.C.E Summit 2017 | Overwatch | Jeff Caplan (Stream with chat)]. ''YouTube'', accessed on 2017-03-07</ref> Specifically, ''Titan'' was a mix of MMO and FPS elements.<ref name = "CancelledYear">2017-09-22, [http://au.ign.com/articles/2017/09/22/overwatch-from-cancelled-project-to-game-of-the-year-ign-expert-mode-ep-3?watch OVERWATCH: FROM CANCELLED PROJECT TO GAME OF THE YEAR - IGN EXPERT MODE EP. 3]. ''IGN'', accessed on 2017-09-23</ref> Mike Morhaime has described the process as working on two games in parallel, and that in hindsight, neither came together.<ref name = "Bins">2019-06-19, [https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-26-ex-blizzard-boss-mike-morhaime-on-why-the-studio-bins-50-percent-of-the-projects-it-starts Ex-Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime on why the studio bins 50% of its projects]. ''Eurogamer'', accessed on 2019-07-03</ref>
+Project Titan was planned to feature at least ten playable classes (Jumper, Reaper, Juggernaut, Phoenix, Architect, Assassin, Guardian, Longshot, Spec Ops, Mechanic). Many of these classes went on to form the basis for ''Overwatch'' [[heroes]].<ref name = "TitanFailure"/> ''Titan'' differed from past Blizzard projects in that a lot of external talent was recruited for its development, whereas previous projects had used pre-existing staff. NDA's (non-disclosure agreements) are in place (as of 2018) that prevent many (former) developers from speaking widely on the game.<ref>2018-05-09, [http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/wow-devs-project-titan-south-park?li_source=LI&li_medium=wikia-rail ‘WOW’ Devs On Project Titan, South Park & Accidentally Making an MMO Phenomenon]. ''Wikia'', retrieved on 2018-05-13</ref> Reasons cited behind the cancellation include a lack of passion for the project and the trending success of their smaller-scale titles.<ref>2018-04-09, [https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/sad-history-of-cancelled-games-silent-hills-scaleb/2900-134/ Sad History Of Cancelled Games: Silent Hills, Scalebound, And More]. ''GameSpot'', accessed on 2018-11-29</ref>
-Sometimes I just feel
-like a piece of meat!
+Team 4's confidence was shaken by the project's cancellation, and many members of the team were transferred, leaving only a core group to brainstorm what Blizzard's next game would be.<ref name="fall of titan">2016-04-21, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq-HwvYjLLg The Story of Overwatch: The Fall of Titan], ''Youtube''.</ref> Specifically, at the time of its cancelation, 140 people were working on ''Titan''. After it was shut down, 80 were permanantly assigned to other projects at Blizzard, and 20 more were temporarily relocated to other teams for anywhere from six months to two years. The remaining staff were given six weeks to come up with a new direction for the project.<ref>2017-02-22, [http://au.ign.com/articles/2017/02/22/dice-2017-blizzard-details-the-road-from-titan-to-overwatch DICE 2017: BLIZZARD DETAILS THE ROAD FROM TITAN TO OVERWATCH]. ''IGN'', accessed on 2017-02-23</ref> The developers came up with three separate game ideas, with the idea being that each idea would have two weeks in discussion.<ref name = "TitanFailure">2017-05-11, [http://blizzardwatch.com/2017/11/05/blizzcon-2017-overwatch-rose-titans-failure/ BlizzCon 2017: How Overwatch rose from Titan’s failure]. ''Blizzard Watch'', accessed on 2017-11-05</ref> The six weeks ended up being divided into one block of four weeks, the other a block of two weeks. The first four weeks were pitching ideas for an MMO in one of the pre-existing Blizzard universes<ref name = "Failure"/> (it has been indicated that ''[[StarCraft]]'' was the setting chosen; concept art for the project was taken from [[Chris Metzen]]'s early work on ''StarCraft'', and Team 4 found the ''StarCraft'' setting compelling enough to do something similar as ''World of Warcraft''),<ref name = "TitanFailure"/> the next two were on developing a new IP MMO.<ref name = "Failure"/> The new IP would be named ''Crossworlds'', set on a remote planet with numerous alien species that acted as the "crossroads of the universe." Like ''World of Warcraft'', ''Crossworlds'' would be a class-based MMO. [[Geoff Goodman]] pitched the idea of doing 50 classes (as opposed to the original 6&ndash;9 idea), the difference being that each class would be hyper-specialized. The idea was deemed unfeasible, though the concept stuck with [[Jeff Kaplan]], who began developing his own pitch.<ref name = "BlizzproArchives">2017-11-05, [http://overwatch.blizzpro.com/2017/11/05/overwatch-archives-panel/ OVERWATCH ARCHIVES PANEL]. ''Blizzpro'', accessed on 2017-11-19</ref>
-I had no idea.
+It was during the brainstorming of ''Crossworlds'' that the concept of ''Overwatch'' emerged, effectively as a side-project during the brainstorm session.<ref name = "Failure"/> Looking at ''Titan'', the developers decided that they had succeeded the most in its PvP mode.<ref name = "CancelledYear"/> Kaplan did a pitch for heroes rather than classes, where each hero would have their own backstory. When the idea was brought to Chris Metzen, he and everyone else agreed that they should focus on this idea.<ref name = "BlizzproArchives"/> Morhaime has described the pitch as "an evolution of a sort of ''Team Fortress''-style game in a superhero universe."<ref name = "Bins"/>
-Barry, I'm sorry.
-Have you got a moment?
+====From Prometheus to Overwatch====
+[[File:Heroes Pitch.jpg|thumb|The initial heroes slide]]
-Would you excuse me?
+The development team was given an assignment for each member to pitch their own hero. By the first morning, 48 hero concepts existed.<ref name = "BlizzproArchives"/>
-My mosquito associate will help you.
+The team looked to ''[[Hearthstone]]'' for inspiration on making a smaller, self-contained game.<ref name="origins panel p3"/> Blizzard pitched the game to Activision with the codename ''Prometheus'', presenting concepts for numerous heroes brainstormed by the team using repurposed artwork from ''Titan''. There was some reluctance from the executives, given that no-one had asked for or expected Blizzard to make an FPS, and Activision already had ''Call of Duty'' as a successful FPS franchise. However, in the presentation pitch, Bobby Kotick (CEO of Activision-Blizzard) was impressed by the varied character roster. Activision ended up giving Blizzard the go-ahead to make the game.<ref name = "CancelledYear"/>
-Sorry I'm late.
+While some character concepts from ''Titan'' found their way into ''Overwatch'', ''Overwatch'' was built from scratch.<ref name="Failure">2015-03-20, [http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/20/8264313/what-overwatch-didnt-learn-from-titan-and-why-it-could-be-blizzards Overwatch: How Blizzard turned its biggest failure into its next great hope]. ''Polygon'', accessed on 2015-03-21</ref><ref>[http://imgur.com/a/eqMIP Possible concept art from Titan.] The "Jumper" has what looks like Tracer's [[chronal accelerator]]. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/4mcroa/project_titan_concept_art_early_look_at_overwatch/d3uz74m?context=3 (How it was found.)]. ''Imgur'' and ''Reddit''.</ref> From the beginning, Team 4 worked closely with the cinematic department on character design.<ref name="origins panel p3">2015-05-27, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2014-overwatch-origins-panel-transcript/3 BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p3]. ''Blizzplanet'', accessed on 2015-05-29</ref> The [[Temple of Anubis]] was the game's first milestone, in the phase of development [[Jeff Kaplan]] has called "finding the fun." The initial goal was to have one complete map, complete with level design and environmental art. [[Pharah]], [[Widowmaker]], [[Tracer]], and [[Reaper]] were the first heroes play-tested. This was in March, 2014.<ref name = "DesigningOverwatch">''Game Informer #81: Designing Overwatch: From Titan to Torbjörn''</ref> There were some difficulties in transferring Project Titan's game engine to ''Overwatch''.<ref name = "Bins"/>
-He's a lawyer too?
+===Setting===
-I was already a blood-sucking parasite.
-All I needed was a briefcase.
+====Conception====
+When work on ''Overwatch'' began, it was decided that the game had to take place in a new setting, and one would be inviting for players.<ref name = "Failure"/> [[Chris Metzen]] had specifically sought to create a superhero universe for years prior to the game.<ref name = "MakingStory"/> There was a desire to set the game on Earth, as up to this point, Blizzard's primary universes had been in fantasy and sci-fi settings far removed from the modern day/setting. The developers looked at how other games were treating Earth for inspiration. One sub-genre that was avoided was post-apocalypse&mdash;according to Jeff Kaplan, "there wasn't a lot of breathing space" in the genre in order to "make a statement." Similarly, realistic settings were avoided,<ref name = "DICESummit"/> as the developers wanted to move away from FPS settings of the past decade, which were predominantly modern military or near future.<ref>2016-04-22, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTMnJ5XJH6Q The Story of Overwatch: Return of the 90s Shooter]. ''YouTube'', accessed on 2016-09-08</ref> The decision was made to go back to the "world worth fighting for" concept that had been present in ''Titan'', which would have also taken place on Earth and expressed this theme.<ref name = "DICESummit"/> When designing the game, Blizzard wanted the world presented to be as fantastical as possible while still being relatable to modern-day Earth.<ref name="origins panel p3"/> They wanted the setting of ''Overwatch'' to be a mix of the "dark and gritty," while also being "a world of color and sound and light." It was intended to be a setting that players would want to keep coming back to and be invested in,<ref name="unveiled p2">2014-11-24, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2014-overwatch-unveiled-panel-transcript/2 BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Unveiled Panel Transcript, p2]. ''Blizzplanet'', accessed on 2015-03-06</ref>
-Have a great afternoon!
+====Worldbuilding====
+Although it was known that ''Overwatch'' would focus on multiplayer, it was also decided to embark in worldbuilding. The first reason was that this would follow in the footsteps of the ''Diablo'', ''StarCraft'', and ''Warcraft'' settings, all of which had detailed universes. The second reason was to not impose limits on the nature of the universe. By engaging in worldbuilding, there would be material for other projects to draw off (the game's animated shorts are a result of this). Likewise, if a separate ''Overwatch'' game was made, the developers could draw off pre-existing material.<ref name = "DesigningOverwatch"/>
-Barry, I just got this huge tulip order,
-and I can't get them anywhere.
+It was decided that the setting shouldn't be binary, as, among other reasons, ''Warcraft'' had been defined by the Alliance-Horde dichotomy.<ref name = "MakingStory">2015-12-10, [http://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-story-chris-metzen-interview/ How Blizzard is making up Overwatch's story as it goes]. ''PC Gamer'', accessed on 2015-12-24</ref> Effort was made to distinguish it from ''Warcraft'', which has a more ominous atmosphere (in the words of the developers, "oppressiveness causes fatigue").<ref name = "Keynote">2017-02-22, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/dice-summit-2017-jeff-kaplan-overwatch-opening-keynote DICE Summit 2017: Jeff Kaplan Overwatch Opening Keynote]. ''Blizzplanet'', accessed on 2017-03-05</ref>
-No problem, Vannie.
-Just leave it to me.
+Events such as the Omnic Crisis were made up as the lore was developed rather than being pre-planned. It was decided to have the game's setting post-both the Omnic Crisis and the golden age that followed, in order to leave it open ended, and allow creation of new heroes that weren't part of Overwatch, but were inspired by it.<ref name="MakingStory"/> Unlike the ''Warcraft'' and ''StarCraft'' universes, the team wanted the world building to be done in a minimalistic way, kept at the same level as the characters, rather than world building being done for its own sake.<ref name = "MakingStory"/>
-You're a lifesaver, Barry.
-Oan I help who's next?
+When designing maps, the developers often visit the real-world locations where applicable. The locations are often infused with 'fantasy' elements (in the sense of combining the location with the 'fantasy' of it as it exists in the real world).<ref>2019-11-07, [https://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2019-overwatch-2-panel-transcript BlizzCon 2019 Overwatch 2 Panel Transcript]. ''Blizzplanet'', accessed on 2020-04-10</ref>
-All right, scramble, jocks!
-It's time to fly.
+====Aesthetics====
+Inspiration was taken from ''World of Warcraft'' in regards to the game's color variation. A number of zones in WoW rely on color (among other things) to convey mood, and are thus distinguishable. ''Overwatch'' follows this philosophy.<ref name = "DICESummit"/>
-Thank you, Barry!
+The cast was designed to reflect the "real" earth, where people aren't all one race, athletes aren't always lean and youthful, and people aren't just stereotypes based on their ethnicity.<ref>2016-09-17, [http://au.ign.com/articles/2016/09/17/overwatch-a-world-fans-built Overwatch: A World Fans Built]. ''IGN'', accessed on 2016-09-18</ref>
-That bee is living my life!
+The team aimed for the game's art style to remain "Blizzardy", approachable with exaggerated proportions and an emphasis on color, while still pushing its visuals forward.<ref>2015-05-27, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2014-overwatch-origins-panel-transcript/2 BlizzCon 2014 – Overwatch Origins Panel Transcript, p2], ''Blizzplanet''.</ref>
-Let it go, Kenny.
+===Gameplay===
+During development, the developers experimented with team sizes, trying large teams like 8v8 and 12v12, as well as small teams like 3v3 and 4v4. Both had problems, so 6v6 was decided to be the sweet spot in order to make every player feel important (as it would be tough in larger games), but not to the extent that blame could be easily assigned (as it would be easy to do so with smaller teams).<ref name="unveiled p2"/>
-- When will this nightmare end?!
-- Let it all go.
+There were concerns that players not being able to see their own hero would run counter to ''Overwatch's'' theme as a character-based game. A large amount of time was spent with the voice actors to cultivate the characters' personalities to offset this.<ref>2015-09-29, [http://www.kotaku.com.au/2015/09/overwatch-could-be-blizzards-next-warcraft/ Overwatch Could Be Blizzard's Next Warcraft], ''Kotaku''.</ref>
-- Beautiful day to fly.
-- Sure is.
+When designing the game's maps, the editors of ''Team Fortress 2'' and ''Call of Duty'' were looked at, to get a sense of map design, and how it could be applied.<ref name = "90s">2016-04-22, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTMnJ5XJH6Q The Story of Overwatch: Return of the 90s Shooter]. ''YouTube'', accessed on 2016-09-08</ref>
-Between you and me,
-I was dying to get out of that office.
+===Progression Systems===
+''Overwatch'' went through two progression systems while in development before settling on the [[Cosmetics#Progression_System|current system]]. It was decided that the progression system should not be a focus of the game.
-You have got
-to start thinking bee, my friend.
+The first system featured a talent system that let players customize their heroes mechanically, where leveling up a hero would unlock new abilities for them. However, with ''Overwatch's'' need for fast reaction speeds and the ability to switch heroes mid-match, having so many iterations of a single hero was deemed too confusing. Additionally, a player's power increasing as more time was invested seemed like a poor fit with the competitive nature of the game.
-- Thinking bee!
-- Me?
+The second system was more in line with the current system, rewarding players with cosmetics. Each hero had a level, and the more a player leveled up, the more cosmetic options would be unlocked for that hero. The unintended result of this system was that players were discouraged from switching between heroes because they wanted to level up, which negatively affected team composition.<ref>2015-12-16, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnkF7hdUYhU Developer Update | Evolution of Progression | Overwatch], ''Youtube''.</ref>
-Hold it. Let's just stop
-for a second. Hold it.
+===Subsequent Development===
+A map editor may be released in the future. However, as of September 2016, there are no plans to do so, as the game is built on a new engine for Blizzard.<ref>2016-09-21, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/jeff-kaplan-overwatch-map-editor-custom-games-matchmaking-system Jeff Kaplan on Overwatch Map Editor & Custom Games Matchmaking System]. ''Blizzplanet'', accessed on 2016-10-04</ref>
-I'm sorry. I'm sorry, everyone.
-Oan we stop here?
+In April 2017, Blizzard was open to porting the game to the Nintendo Switch. However, two hurdles existed, namely the Switch's weaker specs, and that Blizzard already has to balance and develop three versions of the game.<ref>2017-04-09, [https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-for-nintendo-switch-sounds-unlikely-but-/1100-6449253/ Overwatch For Nintendo Switch Sounds Unlikely, But Not Ruled Out]. ''GameSpot'', accessed on 2017-04-09</ref> In August 2018, when asked about the possibility of porting the game to the Switch, Blizzard producer Pete Stilwell stated "anything is within the realm of possibility." However, he reiterated that at the time the comments were made, ''Diablo III'' was Blizzard's only focus on the console.<ref>2018-08-17, [https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-on-switch-is-feasible-but-starcraft-2-is/1100-6461195/ Overwatch On Switch Is Feasible, But StarCraft 2 Isn't]. ''GameSpot'', accessed on 2018-08-17</ref> A Mac release hasn't been ruled out, but as of May 2017, there are no plans to port the game to it.<ref>2017-05-17, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKg7_qGhWVc Blizzard's Jeff Kaplan Answers Overwatch Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED]. ''YouTube'', accessed on 2017-05-18</ref> In August 2019, an ''Overwatch''-themed Switch was listed on Amazon, but the product listing was quickly removed.<ref>2019-08-26, [https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/26/20834113/overwatch-nintendo-switch-case-leak-blizzard Amazon listing may have just leaked Overwatch for Nintendo Switch]. ''Polygon'', accessed on 2019-08-28</ref> The Switch version was officially revealed the following month.<ref name = "Switch"/>
-I'm not making a major life decision
-during a production number!
+A number of fans have requested a battle royale mode for the game. On the subject, Kaplan stated that such a mode would be "awesome," but pointed that it would be difficult to add the mode to a hero shooter, where abilities are intrinsic to heroes, while battle royale games are based around scavenging, with every player on a level playing field. Likewise, the game's heroes don't have the ranged weaponry prevalent in battle royale games.<ref>2018-04-03, [http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2018/04/03/an-overwatch-battle-royale-mode-would-be-tricky-to-make-jeff-kaplan-says An Overwatch Battle Royale Mode Would Be Tricky to Make, Jeff Kaplan Says]. ''Kotaku'', accessed on 2018-04-04</ref>
-All right. Take ten, everybody.
-Wrap it up, guys.
+==Reception==
+''Overwatch'' received "universal acclaim" reviews and was tagged as "must-play" game on Metacritic getting a metascore of 91/100 on both PC<ref>[https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/overwatch Metascore for Overwatch on PC]''Metacritic'', Retrieved May 28, 2020</ref> & Xbox One,<ref>[https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-one/overwatch Metascore for Overwatch on Xbox One]''Metacritic'', Retrieved May 28, 2020</ref> and 90/100 on PS4.<ref>[https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/overwatch Metascore for Overwatch on PS4]''Metacritic'', Retrieved May 28, 2020</ref> While its Switch version received "mixed or average" reviews holding a metascore of 73/100.<ref>[https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/overwatch Metascore for Overwatch on Nintendo Switch]''Metacritic'', Retrieved May 28, 2020</ref> On whatoplay.com, it receives an aggregate score (''playscore'') of 8.58/10 on PC,<ref>[https://whatoplay.com/pc/overwatch/ Playscore for Overwatch on PC]''whatoplay.com'', Retrieved May 28, 2020</ref> 8.63/10 on PS4,<ref>[https://whatoplay.com/ps4/overwatch/ Playscore for Overwatch on PS4]''whatoplay.com'', Retrieved May 28, 2020</ref> and 8.07/10 on Xbox One.<ref>[https://whatoplay.com/xbox-one/overwatch/ Playscore for Overwatch on Xbox One]''whatoplay.com'', Retrieved May 28, 2020</ref>
-I had virtually no rehearsal for that.
 ==Trivia==
-*Seven of ''Overwatch's'' heroes, [[Tracer]], [[Zarya]], [[Genji]], [[Lúcio]], [[D.Va]], [[Ana]], and [[Junkrat]] are playable in ''[[Heroes of the Storm]]''.
+*Eight of ''Overwatch's'' heroes, [[Tracer]], [[Zarya]], [[Genji]], [[Lúcio]], [[D.Va]], [[Ana]], [[Junkrat]] and [[Hanzo]] are playable in ''[[Heroes of the Storm]]''.
-*No single player campaign is planned.<ref name = "LivestreamRecap">2015-10-16, [http://www.overpwn.com/news/76-overwatch-pre-beta-livestream-recap Overwatch Pre-Beta Livestream Recap]. ''Overpwn'', accessed on 2015-10-17</ref>
+*No single player campaign is planned.<ref name = "LivestreamRecap">2015-10-16, [http://www.overpwn.com/news/76-overwatch-pre-beta-livestream-recap Overwatch Pre-Beta Livestream Recap]. ''Overpwn'', accessed on 2015-10-17</ref> However, there will be a PvE campaign-like mode in ''[[Overwatch 2]]''.
-*An ''Overwatch'' TV series is under consideration by Activision Blizzard Studios.<ref>2016-11-06, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2016-blizzard-subtly-tease-overwatch-animated-tv-series BlizzCon 2016: Did Blizzard Subtly Tease Overwatch Animated TV Series?]. ''Blizzplanet'', accessed on 2016-11-16</ref>
+*An ''Overwatch'' TV series is under consideration by Activision Blizzard Studios.<ref>2016-11-06, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2016-blizzard-subtly-tease-overwatch-animated-tv-series BlizzCon 2016: Did Blizzard Subtly Tease Overwatch Animated TV Series?]. ''Blizzplanet'', accessed on 2016-11-16</ref> In February 2020, Nick van Dyk, co-president of Activision-Blizzard Studios, mentioned that he had "developed and sold an animated series based [on] Blizzard's Overwatch franchise."<ref>2020-02-19, [https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/02/overwatch-diablo-anime-blizzard-netflix/ Blizzard Is Working On Animated Overwatch, Diablo Adaptations For Netflix]. ''Kotaku'', accessed on 2020-03-01</ref>
 *Overwatch's game engine is named Prometheus, which is likely a reference to the Greek titan with the same name.
+*Overwatch is #51 on [http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-games/51 IGN's Top 100 Video Games of All Time].
+*Blizzard staff members have expressed interest in an ''Overwatch'' character appearing in ''Super Smash Brothers''.<ref>2019-09-22, [http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzard-producers-would-love-overwatch-hero-in-super-smash-bro Blizzard Producers would love Overwatch hero in Super Smash Bros]. ''Blizzplanet'', accessed on 2019-09-25</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 4,598: / Line 117: @@
 {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Overwatch''}}
-[[Category: Contents]][[Category: Blizzard games]]
+[[Category: Contents]][[Category: Overwatch games]]