‘Overwatch’ News & Updates: Blizzard Reveals First Queer Character in Digital Comic, But Banned In Russia?

Blizzard has finally revealed the first gay character in their digital comic for "Overwatch." Although this has come as a holiday surprise for most fans, the LGBTQ community is cheering as one of the biggest names in the gaming world is giving diversity to the popular team-based shooter game, but not everyone is happy.

Digital comics for games are not usually head-turners, but Blizzard's major reveal is. Aptly titled "Reflections," the digital comic for "Overwatch" showcases that Tracer is gay. Normally, when a member of the LGBTQ appears as part of a game, they are most often than not the hero, just a meager side character or a role-playing hero.

REFLECTIONS: Join our heroes as they head home for the holidays and celebrate the season with their loved ones!

 https://t.co/q8uD4keMnB pic.twitter.com/CJ0zFnOWCd

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 20, 2016

Tracer, one of "Overwatch" most prominent heroes has graced the game's cover and has been showcased in most of the game's promotional materials. "Overwatch" has indeed amped up its game and mainstreamed itself in all communities.  According to VentureBeat, back in 2015, Blizzard has already teased "Overwatch" fans that they will feature a gay character but did not reveal the specifics. They also noted that there will be more than one member of the LGBTQ community in the game. And Tracer is just one of them. Fans are hoping to see more soon. In the digital comic of "Overwatch," Tracer kisses what appears to be her girlfriend who is not part of the "Overwatch" team, Emily. They soon attend Winston's holiday dinner together, another "Overwatch" hero, per Polygon. Despite the acceptance of the queer character reveal for "Overwatch," one country took to great heights and banned the comics. The Russian version of the game has banned the digital comics of "Overwatch." "In accordance with Russian law we cannot share this comics with our players from the Russian Federation territory," said the Russian version of the site, as reported by Mashable. Further, a spokesperson from Blizzard confirmed this and noted that they will have to see the comic in a different language.

The new Overwatch comic is banned in Russia and unavailable in the language because of homophobic laws against "gay propaganda." pic.twitter.com/u1vfCHXulG — Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 20, 2016

Nevertheless, a number of "Overwatch" fans took to Twitter and proclaimed their glee regarding the news of a cover star as gay. Blizzard's "Overwatch" is playable on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.