This is the story of ZenofyMedia, who dares to see Overwatch for what it could be.
Within the Overwatch community, OWCavalry is a trusted account that shares the latest game updates on social media. It shows these updates clearly through posts paired with images and sources. However, just who are the people behind the account? OWCavalry is run by both ZenofyMedia and Minkendorfer, and ZenofyMedia sat down with esports.gg for an exclusive interview! We talked about how he got into Overwatch, what the game and community means to him, and Strike, who is his original Overwatch hero.
ZenofyMedia and OWCavalry interview
In his interview with esports.gg, ZenofyMedia shared that he first got into Overwatch when he was around 13 years old. At the time, he was mostly playing Minecraft, but many of his friends began migrating to Overwatch. This inspired him to try it out for himself, and despite never really playing a first-person shooter (FPS) before, Overwatch immediately drew him in. The gameplay was great, and combined with its character-driven stories, ZenofyMedia soon became fully immersed in its universe.
“I just loved how immersive it is,” ZenofyMedia said. “I watched the Dragons cinematic when that came out. And I was like, ‘Wow, that was so cool.’ And I think that’s really what spoke to me — just how cool it was. I’ve always loved futuristic, sci -fi things.”
He continued, “You know, growing up in the UK, I watched a lot of Doctor Who, which is like a really old sci-fi show. So just seeing all that cool, futuristic tech and stuff and Tracer, a British character, as like the poster girl at the time, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s so cool.’ The gameplay itself is kind of what brought me in, but then once I saw all the story, I really wanted as much of it as I could possibly get.”
What it takes to run OWCavalry
Overwatch soon became the only game ZenofyMedia played for five years. When the question of college came about, he began to seriously consider turning his passion for Overwatch into a career. Equipped with knowledge in graphic design, he started volunteering for the London Spitfire Fan Association during the Overwatch League (OWL) era. ZenofyMedia created graphics to cover esports matches. This led to getting recognized by and working with Dallas Fuel, New York Excelsior, and even the OWL itself. He also leaned into meme content and edits that fans loved.
“But I also found myself enjoying the social aspect of it a bit more as well,” ZenofyMedia added. “Like making fun social posts. My job became less graphic design and more just ideas for funny posts, and that transitioned into social media.”
After the OWL ended back in 2023, ZenofyMedia wanted to continue connecting with the game and its community. Instead of starting from scratch, however, he joined OWCavalry to help Minkendorfer create posts on social media. He helped grow OWCavalry from around 10,000 followers to over 100,000 in a single year.
“I liked the brand of Overwatch Cavalry, and Tracer was always my favorite hero,” ZenofyMedia told esports.gg “I liked the logo. And so I was like, ‘You know what, can I help you? Can I join this?’ I found it really compelling. And, Stan, who is the owner, welcomed me with open arms.”
He then shared that being part of the Overwatch community through OWCavalry gives him a strong sense of purpose and motivation. ZenofyMedia recalled that he first realized the real impact of his work when fans started recognizing him both in the game and at in-person events like the 2023 OWL Grand Finals in Toronto and BlizzCon in Los Angeles. A visit to Blizzard Entertainment’s headquarters reinforced his love for Overwatch, too.
“You know, getting to see the Overwatch logo and the orc statue and the giant Tracer was incredible,” he said. “And just seeing that workplace culture — because it did seem really wholesome — they’ve got their own Starbucks there where they go and eat lunch. I was like, ‘This is the life. This is where I want to be.’ And [the visit] definitely reaffirmed that.”
To this day, OWCavalry continues to be a well-recognized and trusted source within the Overwatch community. Together, ZenofyMedia and Minkendorfer create polished posts covering the game’s latest updates and news of community interest. This involves understanding the news cycle, when Blizzard Entertainment typically shares information, and using templates for peak efficiency. The account also follows the ethics of good journalism by including sources, correcting mistakes, and exercising due diligence to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Introducing Strike in Overwatch!
With Overwatch being such a major part of his life, ZenofyMedia created his original character (OC) for the game as well. He told esports.gg that Strike was inspired by his love of lightning-based heroes and shows like The Flash. He also went into Strike’s origin story and acknowledged the work of the talented artists such as Axiominus, PJRascals, Charlie Managhan, Jupiiit, pistonfx_, noxlotl, tehec_vfx24, polybutts, Evanylaaa, charlteon, and KielFiggins. Strike evolved from an initial idea into 2D concept art, then 3D models, and eventually in-game mockups with user-interface (UI) overlays.
According to ZenofyMedia, Strike’s origin story is set in King’s Row during the Overwatch Uprising and the rise of Null Sector. Someone in Strike’s family was affected by or perhaps killed during that time, driving Strike to become a vigilante in a city he sees as increasingly lawless. Strike then sees Tracer saving the city and begins to act on his own to fight back against the chaos. Strike later seeks out Sojourn and helps her fight against Null Sector’s invasion of Toronto.
“And so he [sought] out Sojourn in Toronto where the invasion was happening,” ZenofyMedia said. “He helped her deal with things. We kind of know from what actually happened in those [videos] that Overwatch arrives and tries to recruit Sojourn. In my headcanon, she was like, ‘I don’t want to join. But Strike, on the other hand — he’s ready to go. He’s the young blood, I’ve been training him, he should join.'”
In terms of Strike’s abilities, they match his dive-focused playstyle and lightning theme. He has dash mechanics, chained dash movements, charge-based electric attacks, and even an ultimate that involves a powerful burst of electricity.
“His ultimate was based around what I call the ‘Kinetic Harness,’ which is similar to Tracer’s Chronal Accelerator,” ZenofyMedia explained. “It’s that piece of machinery in the middle of his chest. I love the idea of [being] overrun with electricity and just exploding, just wiping out everything — kind of like Sombra’s EMP. And so this one was like that kind of big AoE damage thing that I thought would be cool. You know, you dive in and just let your ultimate rip and everyone gets electrified. I love The Flash. So I wanted the idea of him to have some sort of truly electrified state where he’d have lightning just emanating out of him. And in this six-second window after the ultimate, you can run around and all your attacks do a little bit more electric damage and have that zappy effect.”
ZenofyMedia then told esports.gg that he has plans for a Strike cinematic.
ZenofyMedia on Overwatch and the future
As for parting words, ZenofyMedia said that he’s always been an optimistic person. He has a lot of faith in Overwatch as a franchise and believes that the game still has the same magic it had when he first discovered it back in 2016.
“I knew that we’d be back someday. I have so much faith in Overwatch as a franchise and as a world because I had fallen in love with it and I know how magical it is to a lot of people,” he said. “So for Overwatch to be back now — I would call it back [since] it’s on the front page of Twitch [and] it’s doing numbers — I’m loving it. I’m having as much fun now as I was in that summer of 2016 for the first time. That magic of Overwatch is back.”
ZenofyMedia continued, “I just want to encourage people to stay optimistic. That’s what Overwatch has taught me, you know? ‘Dare to see the world for what it could be.'”
That’s all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more Overwatch interviews, news, and updates!