‘Overwatch 2’ Adds Nonbinary Character “Venture” for 2024 Release

The popular, team-based online shooter Overwatch 2 is getting its first nonbinary hero, Venture, who is slated to release in-game in 2024.

Venture was announced at BlizzCon 2023, along with a few other heroes and new game modes. They are described as a “swashbuckling archeologist” who wields a comically oversized drill. Curious fans noticed small details, such as the patch on their arm, which led them to believe that Venture was nonbinary. When asked, technical artist Ana Martinez confirmed that they do in fact use they/them pronouns.

Venture will be the first nonbinary character in the game, and only the second to be already established as LGBTQ+ prior to release (the first, Lifeweaver, was confirmed to be pansexual at his reveal in April). While there are other queer characters in Overwatch 2, they were only confirmed as such after release. Popular characters such as Tracer and Soldier: 76 are canonically gay, but are only really depicted as such in auxiliary media such as one-shot comics or short stories which much of the game’s player base may not interact with.

While Overwatch 2 is growing more diverse, one can’t help but to compare the game’s increasingly colorful, queer cast with the many controversies of its parent company, Activision Blizzard. In July 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued the company. The lawsuit, which came about as a result of a two-year investigation, alleges that Blizzard “fostered a sexist culture” which was toxic towards particularly women and LGBTQ+ employees. The following months were filled with allegations of workplace toxicity and unfair discrimination which extended all the way to the top of the corporate ladder. This culminated in an $18 million settlement with Activision Blizzard and its subsidiaries in 2022. Blizzard’s CEO and president has also stepped down amidst the controversy.

The inclusion of more LGBTQ+ characters in Overwatch 2 is exciting, but the question still remains: will Activision Blizzard be able to recover their reputation, or will this game be forever haunted by the company’s past?

Photo courtesy of LiquidSprocket on X