Overwatch's rise from Titan's ashes

Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch grew out of the canceled MMO Titan and a burst of creative reinvention. Launched May 24, 2016, it became a cultural touchpoint and, by October 2022, had sold approximately 50 million copies. It saw competitors rise then drown in the tides of an ever-expanding sea of canceled projects, and over the last decade the hero shooter both stagnated and sought to reconnect with its most devoted fans.

Titan's demise followed a poor playtest and what came to be called the White Chair Meeting, when developers were told the project was being archived and years of work deleted. A core team of roughly 30 people remained and set about pitching new ideas, moving from a proposed StarCraft MMO to a project called Cross Worlds before attention shifted again.

The idea of a hero-based shooter ignited quickly.

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