Overwatch 2 Loverwatch dating sim champions LGBTQIA+ players and inclusivity

Overwatch 2 Season 3 is full of fun shenanigans as Blizzard recently released the Loverwatch dating simulator alongside new in-game cosmetics and the Ultimate Valentine event. Amid all the lovey-dovey gameplay, the team behind the Overwatch 2 dating simulator sat down with Esports.gg for an interview!

The creative folks behind Lovewatch include senior narrative designer Miranda Moyer, narrative designer Kyungseo Min, and Overwatch brand manager Beth Bryson.

Loverwatch allows players to choose their own name, take part in the narrative in a meaningful way, and have the option for either friendship or romantic love. This design was intentional, and both Min and Moyer emphasized the importance of it.

"We really wanted to focus on making this dating sim as inclusive as possible, which includes aromantic asexual people," Min said. "We're super cognizant and want to be inclusive for that community. That's really important to the narrative team. So from the get-go, it was just a design philosophy of how can we make this inclusive." Min added that a lot of thought was put into making the Loverwatch experience fun for all players.

Moyer agreed and said that letting players connect with Genji, Mercy, or Hanzo on a more personal level is important if one is aroace or simply wishes to be friends with these characters.

"It was also part of the reason why we decided to make the player yourself," Min said. "You play as you. You put your name in. Whatever your preferences are, it doesn't matter because the experience, like Miranda said, is about getting to know these people and the actual important part of dating or any relationship, which is forging a human connection with someone. We really wanted to emphasize on that."

While Moyer worked on Genji's route, Min was the person behind Mercy's path. As for Hanzo, creating his secret ending involved the Overwatch 2 team acting out the scenes.

"The way that we wrote them was we got in a call and we said, 'What is the most comedic way to interact with Hanzo in any of these segments?'"

"We basically acted it out," Min added.

"Like, 'I am Hanzo. How much disdain am I feeling in this moment talking to these people?'" Moyer continued. "And I think it was really enjoyable getting to keep that very stoic and grumpy personality."

If a player chooses the Genji route, then Cupid Hanzo as their wingman shows this grumpy behavior while also playing the part of a disgruntled big brother.

If a player wants to smooch other characters on the Overwatch 2 roster, then they would be pleased to know that there's a lot of interest in it within the Loverwatch team. The big question is whether or not more Overwatch 2 characters will be added to the game in the future.

"The straightforward answer to that is we hope so," Bryson said, noting the early responses and Loverwatch reactions from players. "The hope is that [the] player response is big enough that we can explore other avenues here. I think there's a very large appetite for that within the team. But no promises. No promises. But we certainly make a stronger case for ourselves if players are jumping in and enjoying it."

"Kyungseo was not lying when she said it was a very, very hard decision to have to pick just two heroes — and thankfully three with Hanzo," Moyer added.

A lot of thought was put into Loverwatch, and players can experience that through all of the Easter eggs. Some of them include references to the different maps, Hanzo and Genji’s photo, and even the Rikimaru Ramen Shop from Hanamura.

Moyer and Min told Esports.gg about their favorite references and how those moments added to Mercy, Genji, and Hanzo's narratives. While Moyer loved the "drinking DPS tears" part alongside how Mercy made bad coffee and how Hanzo was terrified of Ana, Min enjoyed the care put into Genji's route.

Min loved how Miranda brought in Genji's inner conflict and his thoughts about whether or not he's a good person due to his dark past.

"And you sort of, as the player, get to help him heal himself," Min told Esports.gg. "You get to tell him — or not — 'Do you think one can know their true selves?' And just bringing sort of that crux of the character design back into something that's very ridiculous — it's something that's actually very heartfelt and deep. I really loved how Miranda weaved that in."

The Overwatch 2 Loverwatch dating simulator can be played for free on the official website.

That's all for now. Stay tuned on Esports.gg for more Overwatch 2 content, news, and updates!