Blizzard have been telling Overwatch’s story in as many other mediums as they can, thanks to a multiplayer shooter not exactly lending itself to narrative, and it looks like there’s going to be some reading material on the horizon. Blizzard now have their own book publishing label, so they can pump out anything they want, whether it’s for WoW, StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch or whatever.
As we near the end of the year, why not look back on the best games of 2016.
The label is dedicated to releasing new Blizzard publications as well a reissuing old books from their StarCraft, Diablo and Warcraft universes. The book publishing business will give Blizzard even more control over the lore associated with their game worlds.
Blizzard Publishing will offer multiple formats, such as print, audiobook, and e-books.
The first books published under the Blizzard Publishing label include two sets of previously released novels and manga from award-winning and New York Times best-selling authors:
Blizzard Legends
- Warcraft: The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb
- Warcraft: Lord of the Clans by Christie Golden
- World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde by Christie Golden
Blizzard Manga
- Warcraft Legends: Volume One, with stories by Richard A. Knaak, Dan Jolley, and Jae-Hwan Kim
- Warcraft Legends: Volume Two, with stories by Richard A. Knaak, Dan Jolley, and Aaron Sparrow
There will be new content on the way from across all of Blizzard’s game library in the coming months. Blizzard Publishing have also released a new original title, the World of Warcraft Adult Coloring Book, a book filled with over 80 pieces of concept art, sketches, and more.
“Great stories and inspiring artwork have always been at the heart of everything we do,” said Lydia Bottegoni, senior vice president of story and franchise development at Blizzard. “The creation of Blizzard Publishing gives us new opportunities to celebrate the art and stories of our games with Blizzard gamers as well as fantasy and sci-fi fans around the world.”
This news seems strange after the cancellation of the Overwatch First Strike graphic novel, but Blizzard did say they had a new vision for Overwatch lore. I can’t help but wonder if this was a factor in the cancellation, though.