If you like video games in any way, you probably already know what the Overwatch logo looks like. While it’s quite subtle in terms of gaming logos, no one can deny it’s bold… or easily identifiable. But how did it get there? What creative genius concluded that a shattered circle and a few angular appendages made a nice logo? And what exactly does it all mean? Discover more as we explore the Overwatch Logo’s history and background.
Overwatch Logo: Brand Overview
Because the corporation has not provided an official explanation, the emblem of the online video game Overwatch lends itself to multiple interpretations.
Blizzard Entertainment created and distributed Overwatch, a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter. Overwatch is called a “hero shooter” because players are split into two teams of six. Each player chooses a “hero” from a pool of more than 30 characters, and each hero has a different way of playing that fits into one of three main categories. A team of players works together to secure and defend control locations on a map or to escort a payload across the battlefield in a set amount of time.
What Exactly is Overwatch?
Overwatch is an esports discipline, a first-person team shooter in which users fulfill tasks rather than battle each other. The game has a wide range of locales and personalities. In 2016, Blizzard Entertainment launched the first version.
From 2014 until 2016, the video game was first released in beta and tested at BlizzCon. Then it was quickly adopted on various platforms, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows. In 2019, a new option for the Nintendo Switch was introduced. The game mode is multiplayer, and you can control it with a keyboard, mouse, or controller.
Because the relationship between participants is built on combat, numerous heroes are involved in the plot’s growth. Each player can select up to twenty characters. They are separated into two groups of six individuals each. The computer game contains a robotization element, which has a significant impact on its logo.
Overwatch Logo: History
Blizzard Entertainment created the game in 2016. It takes place on a future Earth, just after the terrible AI rebellion that killed millions. The ‘Overwatch team is responsible for maintaining order in the shaking world. In the story, they usually fight terrorists, although, in the game, any team might consist of any in-game character.
Overwatch Logo (2016 – Today)
The official Overwatch logo is made up of two parts: the symbol and the inscription.
The sign is meant to represent a variety of things. It’s a dark gray ring with an upper fourth colored orange and separated from the primary insignia. Two fang-like growths point upward and inward.
This last thing is designed to look like a scope, but the way the ring is arranged, the entire image looks like the letters ‘O’ and ‘W’ – the first letters in both parts of the name.
Overwatch Logo Text (2016 – Today)
The text is written in the same gamma and style as the emblem. This time, though, they chose a futuristic and robotic look. The letters are both blocky and flowing. There are no acute angles; everything is squared and flattened.
There are two orange triangles that point up (over the letter ‘V’) and down (below the letter ‘A’) in addition to the grey part.
The Overwatch Logo: Font and Color
The complete logo consists of two parts: graphic and linguistic. Both are offered in a dark silver and orange color scheme. And the emblem itself is a wide-open circle (interrupted in two places at the top) with two symmetrically situated “crossbars” inside that do not close together.
The designers didn’t give a detailed explanation because the design had more than one meaning. As a result, depending on the approach and character picked, each user sees something different in him.
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Because the Overwatch symbol may be taken in a variety of ways, the link with them is close.
- Version 1 consists of the letters “O” and “W” placed on top of each other. They are taken from the terms “Over” and “Watch” and are part of the video game’s name.
- Version 2 of the emblem resembles a pacific – a global peace symbol. This is because the team’s initial mission is to confront problems and promote peace.
- Version 3 of the design depicts two hands folded in prayer (most likely for peace), with the golden upper portion representing the rising sun, which will provide a ray of hope and shine light on the surrounding space.
- Version 4 is a high-tech gesture made by two gamers, implying a modern greeting and cooperative action because Overwatch is a team game.
- Version 5: Because the genre of multiplayer games is associated with military combat, the heraldic rondel is given on the emblem, which looks exactly like the round shield of the Spartans. The inner element is similar to the Greek sign lambda, which is identical to the letter “L.” She then refers to the name of the place where Sparta previously lived – Lacedaemon (or Laconia). Also, the letter “C” in the word “Sparta” is spelled as “in ancient Greek (sigma). Inverted, it resembles the center part of a rondel.
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Another significant aspect of the computer game is the flag. It is based on a blue background with a logo. The flag first appeared in the official video game trailer.
The words in the Overwatch logo are written in a special font that looks like the writing on the logos of the Namco, Triforce Nintendo, and Sega consoles. The distinction between them is negligible.
The most distinguishing indication is “A.” It is positioned upside down as if it were a victory emblem—a “V” (from the name “Victoria”). The letter “O” is not a circle, but rather a half-square with an open bottom line on the left side. The letter “R” has an internal gap, while the letter “E” has a reduced middle crossbar. Some letters also have visibly clipped top corners.
Icon
Overwatch employs its trademark identifiable insignia for the icon, which is done in a gray and yellow color palette and set on a gray background. The sole distinction between the emblem and the symbol is the grayscale. The circle elements on the icon are done in a light silver tone, while the background is dark gray.
A unique typeface is used in the wordmark. Surprisingly, it resembles the letters used in the Nintendo/Namco/Sega Triforce system’s logo, with just minor differences.
The most recognizable glyph is arguably the “A,” which looks like a “V” turned upside down. We can also see the “R” and “O” with white gaps, the square “C,” and the “E” with a shorter middle bar. In addition, several letters’ angles are clipped (“O,” “C,” “E”).
History of Overwatch
Overwatch was an online game that was mostly played as a first-person shooter. There were other methods to play the game, but the major focus was on battling between two teams of six players each. Players are selected from over a dozen pre-made hero characters from one of three classes: damage heroes, who do the majority of the damage to assault or defend control points; tank heroes, who can take a lot of damage; and support heroes, who heal or assist their colleagues in other ways.
Each hero had a distinct skill kit that displayed information about them such as how much health they had and how quickly they could run. It also displayed their primary attacks, a few active and passive talents, and an ultimate ability that could only be used after damaging foes and healing allies. Overwatch was created so that players may switch heroes during a match. This was done to foster versatile squad compositions that can adjust to changing circumstances. Because the game revolves around several characters and classes, some writers have dubbed it a “hero shooter.”
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The game had options for both casual and competitive play, and it worked with esports events like Blizzard’s Overwatch League. Most of the time, these modes involved one side attacking while the other team defended or seized possession of spots on the map one by one.
Other casual match game modes include single and team deathmatch, capture-the-flag, and special modes that run during various holidays and events. Since more recent versions, users have been able to create their own game modes using a restricted set of scripting tools.
Whether a player won or lost a match, they gained experience that helped them advance to the next level. When they reached a new level, they received loot boxes containing cosmetic items that they could use to customize the appearance of their hero characters, but this had no effect on how the game was played. Loot boxes could also be purchased using microtransactions.
Plot
Overwatch is set sixty years in the future, thirty years after the end of the “Omnic Crisis.”
Prior to the Omnic Crisis, humans had a golden age of riches and technology. “Omnics” are artificial intelligence-powered robots. These robots were utilized to ensure that everyone had the same salary, and people began to treat them as individuals in their own right. The Omnic Crisis began when the automated “Omnium” factories around the planet began producing a swarm of hazardous, hostile robots that attacked people. After each country’s attempts to stop the Omnics failed, the UN quickly put together Overwatch, an international task force to fight the threat and get things back to normal.
Overwatch was given to Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison, both veterans of the Soldier Enhancement Program. Despite the fact that Overwatch stopped the robots from rising up and brought many talented people to the forefront, there was a schism between Reyes and Morrison since Reyes was the formal head of the group, but everyone assumed Morrison was the true leader because he was more popular.
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Morrison was eventually named Overwatch’s leader, while Reyes was given command of Blackwatch, Overwatch’s clandestine operations division. Blackwatch is in charge of combating terrorist organizations such as Talon, which appears to be attempting to spark a second Omnic Crisis, and Null Sector, a group of Omnics that rebelled against the society that treated Omnics poorly during the first Crisis. Overwatch maintained global peace for many years, during what became known as the “Overwatch Generation.” Morrison and Reyes, on the other hand, grew apart. One night, Blackwatch was dispatched to apprehend a well-known mobster with ties to Talon.
After entering the complex, Reyes assassinated the mobster rather than allowing him to pay his way out of jail. Because of this action, the public learned about Blackwatch and its less heroic actions. Overwatch has been accused of misbehavior and failure on several occasions. This resulted in a public reaction against the organization and conflict among its members, prompting the UN to investigate the situation. During this time, an explosion ripped through Overwatch’s Swiss headquarters, killing a number of individuals, including Morrison and Reyes. The UN passed the Petras Act, which effectively stopped Overwatch and made similar activities illegal.
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Overwatch takes place six years after the Petras Act. Without Overwatch, businesses have started to take over, there have been wars and acts of terrorism in some parts of the world, and there are signs that Russia is on the verge of a second omnic crisis. Winston, a smart gorilla who used to be a member of Overwatch, decides to get the team back together in spite of the Petras Act in order to bring peace back to the world. The members of the team enlist old friends and find new allies to aid them in their fight.
Reyes and Morrison did not perish in the explosion generated by their fight. Morrison became “Soldier: 76,” a masked vigilante looking for answers about why Overwatch was shut down, and Reyes joined Talon and became “Reaper,” a terrorist who resembles Death.
Development
Overwatch was created after Blizzard canceled the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Titan in 2013, a project that had been in the works for roughly seven years. The majority of the project’s employees were transferred to other departments at Blizzard, but a small team of roughly 40 individuals led by director Jeff Kaplan was given a few months to come up with a new game idea.
They came up with the notion of a hero team-based shooter after some thought, building on the success of games like Team Fortress 2 and multiplayer online war arenas. They began using Titan assets to demonstrate the proof-of-concept, and they were given the green light to create the whole game. This was Blizzard’s first new intellectual property since StarCraft.
The cancellation of Titan was a company-wide event that influenced the plot and setting. They painted a bright picture of the near future, a few decades after the Omnic Crisis and the creation and dissolution of the peacekeeping Overwatch group.
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This offered them the opportunity to create a diverse cast of characters, including those who were not humans, as well as vibrant settings from throughout the world.
Overwatch’s development staff keeps the game running with free updates, new characters, maps, game types, cosmetic items, seasonal events, and outside media that complements the game’s story. They also continually change how each hero plays based on meta-game statistics and fan feedback.
New characters and maps have been added to the game on a regular basis since its release. The original hero count has increased from 21 in May 2016 to 32 in April 2020. However, no heroes have been added since April 2020 because the Overwatch 2 team has been working on it.
Kaplan oversaw the development of Overwatch until April 2021. He then exited Blizzard. After Kaplan departed the organization, Aaron Keller took over his responsibilities.
What Is the Overwatch Symbol?
The symbol of peace. This is explained by the fact that the original objective of the Overwatch squad was to prevent confrontations and protect the peace. The centre half of the insignia could represent two hands joined in prayer for peace, while the gold top could represent the rising sun of hope.
What Is Overwatch Known For?
Overwatch was a multiplayer online team-based first-person shooter. The game offered a variety of game types, the majority of which revolved around squad-based fighting between two opposing teams of six players each.
What Is the Story of the Overwatch?
Overwatch is set sixty years in the future of a fictionalized Earth, thirty years after the “Omnic Crisis” has been settled, and six years after the Petras Act has been enacted. Omnics are artificial intelligence (AI) robots designed to aid humans in manufacturing and initiatives to achieve global economic equality.
What Are the Three Types of Overwatch?
Overwatch’s heroes are divided into three types: damage, tank, and support. These categories can be further subdivided to help teams and players find the best combination of heroes, skills, and ultimates for any given battle.
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Overwatch Logo References
