Only a few months afterOverwatchLead WriterMichael Chu left Blizzard, another key member of the writing team has called it quits. Alyssa Wong announced on Twitter yesterday that it was her last day at Blizzard, and many fans are both shocked and concerned that another writer is leaving so soon.
Before her departure, Wong was being considered to replace Chu as the lead writer forOverwatch. While she wasn’t promoted to that position, she was a fan favorite for her style and creation of the lore for theSupport Hero Baptistewith her short story “What You Left Behind,” released earlier this year. Wong only worked for Blizzard for two years, although that was enough time for fans to grow to rely on her to promote inclusivity and story consistency.
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Michael Chu was known for promoting diversity and including different types of stories, and promoted LGBT storylines likelesbian Tracerand gay Soldier: 76. He also openly discussed portraying Asian-Americans like himself as heroic. When Chu left, many people saw Wong as the new front for inclusion and diversity withinOverwatchstorylines. Fans also have praised Wong for her devotion to character depth and plot arc continuity, so without Chu or Wong, some fans are wondering who will carry on their work.
OverwatchDirector Jeff Kaplan supports diversity and inclusionwithin the game, but the game is still coming under fire by members of minorities who wish to see their stories more represented and well-written. ManyOverwatchminority players saw Chu and Wong as their champions and trusted them to tell diverse stories, and with both writers gone, some people are questioning whether the higher-ups really do want to focus on diversity.
Some people have pointed out that in the current situation,video game industry employment is complicatedand theOverwatchteam is likely facing some of the same struggles as others in this field. The writing cycle forOverwatchand the upcoming sequel’s lore probably don’t have much left to be added to them, and many things are no doubt set in stone. There are storylines that haven’t been revealed yet that Chu and Wong had their hands in, and there are unlikely to be any big writing changes now.
Although some fans are concerned about the implications of Wong’s departure, most people are just sad to see a great writer leave the company and wish her the best. There’s no proof that Wong left on bad terms, and her tweet even complimented the writing teams and expressed her excitement forOverwatch 2.
Overwatchis available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
