Awesome Robo!: The Art of Blizzard's Overwatch

Nov 28, 2014

The Art of Blizzard's Overwatch - Arnold Tsang

Hanzo (via)

Undoubtedly by now you've heard at least something about Blizzard's new multiplayer-shooter Overwatch. If not, allow me the extreme pleasure to introduce the company's newest IP in over 17 years. An impressive looking free-to-play team-shooter with heavily Capcom-inspired character roster and Pixar-esque aesthetic, Overwatch players are thrust into the roles of either the titular peacekeeping force or their mysterious mercenary counterparts in a battle for intergalactic supremacy.

The game is schedule for an open-Beta early next year, launches with as many as 12 initial characters, and from all appearances looks like a colossal load of fun. Sadly, as is often the case in the games industry, audiences are seldom made aware of the host of talented artists and designers that craft these incredible new game experiences. Awesome-Robo ain't having none of that, so without further adieu I'd like to talk about one artist in particular responsible for Overwatch's look; Mr. Arnold Tsang.

A co-founder of the Candian production house UDON Entertainment, Arnold Tsang is an absolute beast of an artist known for his contributions on such titles as Capcom Fighting Evolution, Firefall, and Realtime Studio's tragically-ambitious APB. His eye for creating sartorially impressive characters in dynamic situations is matched only by his aptitude for color composition and visual hierarchy. Born in China, Tsang is now based out of California and has worked for Blizzard for over four years as a lead character artist. Check out more of his Overwatch concepts after the break, including a smattering of his previous APB work!