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The Art of Overwatch
Overwatch has taken the world by storm, boasting millions of players and gaining critical acclaim. Now, in this beautiful hardcover, Blizzard Entertainment reveals the creative process behind one of the most popular FPS games of all time! Filled with never-before-seen art as well as commentary provided by the game’s development team, this book is sure to please any Overwatch fan.
· Never-before-seen artwork!
· Essential companion to the international best-selling game Overwatch!
· Introduction and commentary provided by the game’s development team!
· Overwatch is a global phenomenon with 30 million players!
· Produced in close partnership with Blizzard Entertainment!
· Behind-the-scenes look at your favorite characters!
· Overwatch creation revealed!
· Never-before-seen artwork!
· Essential companion to the international best-selling game Overwatch!
· Introduction and commentary provided by the game’s development team!
· Overwatch is a global phenomenon with 30 million players!
· Produced in close partnership with Blizzard Entertainment!
· Behind-the-scenes look at your favorite characters!
· Overwatch creation revealed!
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2017
40 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Blizzard Entertainment
116 books164 followersBlizzard Entertainment is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California, and a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard.
The company is well known for creating the Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch franchises, and regularly publishes related novels, comics, and art books.
The company is well known for creating the Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch franchises, and regularly publishes related novels, comics, and art books.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 18, 2021
Heavy artbook with lots of pages. Only 4 stars because it’s mainly focused on the character designs and I would have liked to see more environment art and cinematic content.
November 6, 2017
If you're into video games and haven't been living under a rock for the last two years, then you're probably aware of the cultural juggernaut which is OVERWATCH. As the latest major outing from Blizzard Entertainment, OVERWATCH holds its place among other their colossal titles such as WORLD OF WARCRAFT. However, the OVERWATCH we know and love today is a very different beast from wha was originally conceived. The recently released art book aims to bridge the gap between the two by showing off all the original concept art with some commentary as to how and why changes were made.
For the most part, the book does its job. Every character has at least a couple pages devoted to their designs, with a handful also dedicated to animated shorts and in-game locations, sprays, icons, and events. Because most of the character art can be found for free on OVERWATCH's official website, the book decides to focus on previously unreleased concept material and movement studies. Some characters have more attention than others, in proportion to how much they've changed over time. No attention is given to rejected/unreleased heroes, and it's missing content on the two latest additions to the game, Junkertown and Doomfist.
A few casual observations of the concept art:
* Props to whoever convinced the developers that multitudes of unrealistic vacuum-sealed boobs (including an apparent BDSM hero? seriously, wtf is going on with the glowing ball-gag hero in the original lineup?) were not a good look.
* Similarly, props to whoever took the Confederate flag off of McCree's shoulder.
* We have been robbed of prime Reaper Edgelord skins. ROBBED.
* "We were going to give Mercy a practical medical design, but then we figured... nah."
The blurbs included for every hero/location/etc. range from good to meh. While some fan speculations about a handful of heroes are finally confirmed here, it mostly describes the design process rather than the characters behind them. The book picks and chooses what it focuses on, sometimes assuming the reader knows about out-of-game developer information about OVERWATCH or its predecessor TITAN, other times over-explaining common knowledge game info. More often than not, the book hyperfocuses on a specific design variant, to the exclusion of several other unique ideas illustrated on the same page.
If you're a fan of OVERWATCH, odds are you've seen various scans of the most interesting/controversial character concepts. If those highlights haven't convinced you to check out the art book, then there's other no reason to seek it out. On the other hand, the artwork itself is gorgeous, and worth having in high-quality if you have $50 in spare cash.
For the most part, the book does its job. Every character has at least a couple pages devoted to their designs, with a handful also dedicated to animated shorts and in-game locations, sprays, icons, and events. Because most of the character art can be found for free on OVERWATCH's official website, the book decides to focus on previously unreleased concept material and movement studies. Some characters have more attention than others, in proportion to how much they've changed over time. No attention is given to rejected/unreleased heroes, and it's missing content on the two latest additions to the game, Junkertown and Doomfist.
A few casual observations of the concept art:
* Props to whoever convinced the developers that multitudes of unrealistic vacuum-sealed boobs (including an apparent BDSM hero? seriously, wtf is going on with the glowing ball-gag hero in the original lineup?) were not a good look.
* Similarly, props to whoever took the Confederate flag off of McCree's shoulder.
* We have been robbed of prime Reaper Edgelord skins. ROBBED.
* "We were going to give Mercy a practical medical design, but then we figured... nah."
The blurbs included for every hero/location/etc. range from good to meh. While some fan speculations about a handful of heroes are finally confirmed here, it mostly describes the design process rather than the characters behind them. The book picks and chooses what it focuses on, sometimes assuming the reader knows about out-of-game developer information about OVERWATCH or its predecessor TITAN, other times over-explaining common knowledge game info. More often than not, the book hyperfocuses on a specific design variant, to the exclusion of several other unique ideas illustrated on the same page.
If you're a fan of OVERWATCH, odds are you've seen various scans of the most interesting/controversial character concepts. If those highlights haven't convinced you to check out the art book, then there's other no reason to seek it out. On the other hand, the artwork itself is gorgeous, and worth having in high-quality if you have $50 in spare cash.
September 5, 2018
This is an amazing book - the size and weight of it is spectacular and that is not even before you turn the first page and look inside. Now I will state now I do not play the game all I know about it is from reading reviews and commentaries on it - however the artwork is fabulous and they do not leave any detail out. That and the fact that they have worked on a lot of the character evolution and back story makes for actually a very interesting read.
One thing to warn about this book though is that the game is evolving all the time and so not only are specials but also future new characters be missed out although this edition is pretty new and so has a lot of up to date details.
I think for me the idea that someone has gone in to so much work often even before the go ahead has been given for a project - and then there is the whole creative process which to me just seems amazing I know that I have no talent in this area but for me this just makes my appreciation of it all the more striking.
So even if you are not a fan of the game give this book ago its amazing although its list price is a little steep but be patient you will find it cheaper - I did
One thing to warn about this book though is that the game is evolving all the time and so not only are specials but also future new characters be missed out although this edition is pretty new and so has a lot of up to date details.
I think for me the idea that someone has gone in to so much work often even before the go ahead has been given for a project - and then there is the whole creative process which to me just seems amazing I know that I have no talent in this area but for me this just makes my appreciation of it all the more striking.
So even if you are not a fan of the game give this book ago its amazing although its list price is a little steep but be patient you will find it cheaper - I did
April 22, 2018
As a fan of Overwatch, I was really excited to see Blizzard put out this book. It doesn't disappoint. It's filled with illustrations of characters, environments, and other visual elements of the game. It's a bit light on text, but that gives more space to the illustrations, so I don't mind that. If you're a fan of this game, this is a must read as the visual design of this game is a big part of its appeal.
December 21, 2018
a-MEI-zing
November 8, 2020
A wonderful presentation of the concept art and the artistic ideas that shaped the game we know today as Overwatch.
(Im)patiently awaiting for the next artbooks of this game and its sequel
(Im)patiently awaiting for the next artbooks of this game and its sequel
January 22, 2018
It's so interesting to see how character designs evolved during the development process. The early iterations, while just as cool-looking as the characters' final forms, make me really thankful as a player that they worked to evolve their looks into what they are now. So much though goes into every detail of every weapon, accessory, and background and each detail makes a huge difference as to how the world is perceived by players. I already loved Overwatch but I can definitely say now that I love it even more.
November 10, 2023
You're a fan of the game? Then it's a nice add-on to your collection.
Lots and lots of artwork about the characters and the locations of the game, mainly that and a bunch of other goodies such as icons and events that the game's artists created throughout the years.
It really shows that the designers and the artists really put on some hard work in the game.
Lots and lots of artwork about the characters and the locations of the game, mainly that and a bunch of other goodies such as icons and events that the game's artists created throughout the years.
It really shows that the designers and the artists really put on some hard work in the game.
May 24, 2023
Love to see the backstory and stuff to all the characters maps etc of the ones I didn't get to enjoy now
November 26, 2018
Overwatch has taken the world by storm, boasting millions of players and gaining critical acclaim. Now, in this beautiful hardcover, Blizzard Entertainment reveals the creative process behind one of the most popular FPS games of all time! Filled with never-before-seen art as well as commentary provided by the game's development team, this book is sure to please any Overwatch fan.
- Never-before-seen artwork!
- Never-before-seen artwork!
July 29, 2024
The art and lore from this game is honestly so interesting. What captivated me to start playing in the first place (pls help I haven't seen the sun in years)
December 12, 2017
Honestly, this is one of the coolest game art books I've seen yet. The level of detail into even just background images and textures remind me why I love Blizzard so much. I'm a complete nerd for concept art and this volume is just dripping with hundreds of pages of just that. The developers/artists' insight is a fantastic touch.
December 29, 2021
A great book, not only for Overwatch fans, but game art aficionados in general. The book is beautifully designed and displays the iconic and often referenced style of Overwatch in a spectacular way. The descriptions, notes and commentaries are interesting and very often explain the design challenges and decisions behind it. A must have for fans, game artists and level designers.
February 22, 2018
lmao this more like a manual, but heyyyy i still read it :-)
im literally overwatch and widowmaker trash tbh and i dont mind :,)
i read this in like a 15 minute sit at walmart (such nice memories aha)
im literally overwatch and widowmaker trash tbh and i dont mind :,)
i read this in like a 15 minute sit at walmart (such nice memories aha)
November 25, 2018
Beautiful artwork. Looking to pick up in paperback
Beautiful book that I look forward to picking up in paper version. It is great to see the history of a beloved game presented this way.
Beautiful book that I look forward to picking up in paper version. It is great to see the history of a beloved game presented this way.
May 14, 2025
I would recommend reading The Cinematic Art of Overwatch first, as I have found it a bit more fleshed out and interesting. The Art of Overwatch is a great complementary read, but maybe a bit lighter on text.
October 28, 2017
Giving it 5 stars even though some of the pages were out of order. I know that is a manufacturing issue though.
November 11, 2017
Wonderful book. Greetings from a Roadhog main.
May 26, 2018
Some gorgeous never-before-seen art, but often the text was filler. I would have liked to see more art for the concepts they didn't use.
June 8, 2018
This was interesting. Love the art style for the different characters.
December 4, 2018
It's astonishing how much care was put into the world and stories behind this game.
June 6, 2024
vibrant, beautiful, lots of neat behind the scenes
Quality art organized perfectly. World have loved to see more concept sketches, but it’s still a 5 star at book for me
Quality art organized perfectly. World have loved to see more concept sketches, but it’s still a 5 star at book for me
November 8, 2024
Pics could be better
November 22, 2024
I had so much fun at looking at the art in this book!! I had fun using the book for reference for my own drawings!
May 24, 2020
Amazing!
I absolutely love most any concept art book. From video games, movies and fine art collections, this one is way up there for me.
I absolutely love most any concept art book. From video games, movies and fine art collections, this one is way up there for me.
January 8, 2019
An amazing book full of tons of new info and illustrations. But also shows how fast the Overwatch universe lore moves, this book has less than a year and it doesn’t include Ash or Hammond profiles; maybe in the next editions they will appear.
I just want to add a new piece of lore here: SOLDIER 76 IS GAY!
Thanks for coming to my TED talk
I just want to add a new piece of lore here: SOLDIER 76 IS GAY!
Thanks for coming to my TED talk
June 20, 2021
Definitely get this if you're a fan of Overwatch. The book is much more comprehensive than I thought, as it contains concept art from heroes to
July 13, 2023
This book contains art from overwatch...lol
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews