430°

Tracer Confirmed To Have A Girlfriend In Overwatch 'Reflections' Comic

Blizzard has been telling us for weeks now that LGBT characters will be confirmed soon.

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gamerevolution.com
gangsta_red3089d ago

But of course, it was either going to be Tracer or Widowmaker. Two of the only really sexualized characters of the game.

littlefatgirl3089d ago

Doesn't Widowmaker have a dead husband?

Activemessiah3089d ago

Dead husband = New girlfriend.. :/

Goldby3089d ago

^dead husband because of new girlfriend

Summons753089d ago

Really? I was better on Zarya since she looks very stereotypical. Not that having a gay character in the game is a bad thing, it's great. I've seen a lot of great reception to it.

ravinash3089d ago

The Russians would love that.

gangsta_red3088d ago

Zarya would have been the obvious choice but what you also have to remember is this "gay" character is catering to a male audience. So what we get is the typical lipstick lesbian that hetero males want to see, not a bull dog dyke if it was Zarya.

"Not that having a gay character in the game is a bad thing, it's great."

Why is it so great though? I mean I have no problem with it and it won't have any negative effects from me because I love Overwatch. But this seems more like publicity and catering to a group rather than being gay to further her character or character story.

Summons753088d ago

@gangsta_red

You do realize she was probably written as a gay character long before this game was even revealed right? When you create characters you think up everything possible for them. This wasn't a sudden spur of the moment decision and it isn't catering. You nailed this exactly. It isn't a problem, because being someone who is LGBT isn't, and it doesn't have any effect on the enjoyment of the game. This homophobic reaction a lot of people have on N4G right now is uneducated hate. If you liked the character before this reveal then you should have absolutely zero problems with her now.

Goldby3088d ago

^ someone actually understands how characters are created.

+1 from an author

gangsta_red3088d ago

"You do realize she was probably written as a gay character long before this game was even revealed right?"

Possibly and then again maybe not. It still feels all too convenient/forced that Tracer would be the one that would be gay, the "attractive", bubbly, high spirited female character. It's exactly who a hetero male would pick to be gay if they had to pick from the roster.

When this character was created for this game I am sure more effort went into abilities, look, balancing and other factors that actually deal with the design and play of the game. Not really certain if the check box of "being gay" was a high priority.

Playing Overwatch there is an overall story but that doesn't seem to be the focus or main interest of the game. As it feels right now Blizzard appears to be making up the story as it goes along.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3088d ago
Kreisen3089d ago (Edited 3088d ago )

Except when youre straight, white and male.

Sm00thNinja3089d ago

Well guess I'm not going to main tracer anymore /sarcasm. I do hate that they felt a NEED to do this instead of letting fan fiction and the like run its course. This feels forced and I really thought it would be Mei.

Summons753089d ago

Honestly in creating characters for books, movies, games, whatever there is generally a character sheet that has EVERYTHING about the character on it. It's just her character. It's not forced, it is what it is. Like in real life. People aren't FORCED to be gay or straight they just are what they are and there is nothing wrong with that. I really don't understand this homophobic hate but sadly certain leaders to be say it's okay to hate gays and anything that is not white or christian so people are going full force on the hate train. Sad that creators are being so disrespected for their creation.

Goldby3088d ago

Characters are built with back story. Some of that may be the sexual orientation. Its not that hard to understand

Sharingan_no_Kakashi3089d ago (Edited 3089d ago )

Guess I'm glad I didn't support this game...

@below

Yes I am serious. I have to vote with my wallet on things I disagree with. I don't support the ideas of the LGBT community. I do so because of my Christian beliefs primarily. At least they were kind enough to say they would be adding LGBT stuff to their comic unlike Naughty Dog with the last of us dlc.

MeteorPanda3089d ago

why would this even matter gameplay wise? unless she suddenly causes in game changes...why. would. this. matter?

You're not a gamer you're just online too much.

GEORGIAN_GRENADE3089d ago (Edited 3089d ago )

The idea to have LGBT everywhere is just getting very obtrusive. It's almost like everything needs to have a gay character or a pro LGBT message in it. It's just not considerate towards Christians, Muslims, Jews, and many other religions. Why not just leave it out? Why have it in there? Is it necessary? I can't recall a game that has got a pro religion message or theme in it that's praised by media and/consumers.

Goldby3089d ago

^never played final fantasy x then Eh?

Number_93089d ago

Every single game that has any sexual relationship between unmarried people is against Christianity, Islam, Judaism and many other religions. I've never understood why people lose their minds over homosexuality on the basis of religion but have no problem with unmarried people going at it like rabbits. If you are going to use religion as a basis to certain things and people then exclude everything else that religion has a problem with, not just the stuff that conveniently lets you off the hook.

I'm a straight, male, Christian man by the way. I don't advocate for homosexuality but if you are going to use my religion to persecute people then persecute all the offenders not just the ones you don't like or fall under

Alexander1Nevermind3089d ago (Edited 3089d ago )

I would suggest that they are being rather inclusive than obtrusive.

What's the big deal if they're all gay? Would that make the game less fun? Everyone always seem to have the same complaint - (I don't care if a char is gay, just don't throw it in my face) yet I don't see many gamers complaining of all the heterosexual love in say the Witcher Yet they throw gobs of sex scenes in your face in that game (see the term throw it in-your face). I mean damn if you dont really care then you wouldn't complain about them "Forcing" it on you - lol like someone has your eyes taped open with a gamepad/keyboard in your had and making u play/watch the game. And the crazy thing is its not even in game its only a comic. So why all the fuss?

DragonKnight3088d ago

FFX is about the theme of overcoming religion Goldby.

As to inclusion, this isn't it. The LGBT community is being overrepresented in all media. They make up approx. 3 to 5% of the populace and yet are given disproprtionate clout and representation. That's just a fact whether you like it or not. Overwatch is a 5 on 5 MP FPS with no in-game story. Making a character's sexuality matter in such a game is unnecessary and blatant pandering at its peak. While it takes nothing away from the game, it also does not benefit it either and as gamers we should be more concerned with receiving more benefits than in pandering overrepresentation of a special interest minority group.

Christopher3088d ago (Edited 3088d ago )

***They make up approx. 3 to 5% of the populace and yet are given disproprtionate clout and representation.***

23 Overwatch characters, 1 is a lesbian. 1/23 = 0.04 (4%).

I get what you're saying in games in general, but in Overwatch it seems to line up. My biggest issue with LGBTQ representation is the hammer with which BioWare uses to include it at the level they do. It never feels organic but forced. Let alone romance in their games always seems taboo up until it's not. "No, we can't, we're too different, I've got my priorities, you've got yours, this is wrong, OKAY LET'S DO THIS!"

DragonKnight3088d ago

@Christopher: That is almost exactly what happens when you try to romance the elf in Dragon Age Inquisition except you don't get to do it in the end because he's apparently some Elf God incognito.

ginganinja3088d ago Show
DragonKnight3088d ago (Edited 3088d ago )

@ginganinja: "No, it's just being represented and you don't like it."

Hahaha. For starters no, it's being overrepresented. For the population numbers, this topic is inflated. But you don't like facts that refute your narrative so you go on the offensive. Second, one does not have to like or dislike something to talk about it. What I dislike is pandering, the kind of shame tactics people like you use, thought policing, and identity politics. I don't care about the non-existent sexual orientation of non-existent humans in fictional worlds because my identity is not so fragile that it needs constant validation in all things. Something you should learn yourself.

ginganinja3088d ago

@dragonknight
What 'facts' are these or have you just plucked them out your arse ?
And how do we go about deciding who gets to represent who? Should there be a list somewhere and we tick off whenever a minority gets a mention so if too many get used up in a year or so, no-one can until the next year.
"Hey, Blizzard, sorry the gaming media's used up its yearly quota of lesbians. There is space for a black pansexual, though."

Christopher3088d ago

***A developer cuts/edits content to comply with age ratings or what it believes the market wants and that we get offended 'gamers' whining that the creative wishes of the devs shouldn't be compromised.
A developer releases a COMPLETELY OPTIONAL WEBCOMIC as background and this is seen as forcing an agenda down everyones' throat. ***

Where did I say anything negative about Blizzard's Web Comic? And, I'm not saying developers shouldn't have creative wishes, only I greatly disagree with the handling of their creative wishes when it comes to romance in general. Did you see anywhere in my comment where I demanded them to change or anything? No. All I did was share my opinion.

ginganinja3088d ago

@Christopher
My humble apologies. I had a brain fart and thought you were still refering to Blizzard instead of Bioware - even though I copy/pasted your comment and still managed to miss it.
Though I still stand by the sentiment of the comment - that of the blatant hyprocrisy of some of the folks here - it was obviously directed at the wrong target.

DragonKnight3088d ago

"What 'facts' are these or have you just plucked them out your arse ?"

Do you REALLY want me to go into this ginganinja? Because we both know that I can, that I can show you things like, for example, the actual number of LGBT people in the world and how if they really wanted equality (which they don't) in representation then having relatively few LGBT characters in gaming is actually equality and going over that number is overrepresentation. Christopher already did the math. Tracer is the exact amount of representation necessary to equal the number of LGBT people in the world, and Blizzard is hinting at Tracer only being the first gay character, implying that there will be more. 1 more character would be overrepresentation by equality standards. But we all know that you regressives don't want equality, you want preferential treatment and elevation.

"And how do we go about deciding who gets to represent who? Should there be a list somewhere and we tick off whenever a minority gets a mention so if too many get used up in a year or so, no-one can until the next year."

All of that already exists and is used by you regressives. Remember AC Unity? No playable female character? SHAME!!!!! EVERY GAME MUST HAVE A PLAYABLE FEMALE CHARACTER THAT PASSES THE BECHDEL TEST OR THE DEVELOPERS ARE SEXIST!!

Hell, even having Tracer is not good enough. Your Lord and Saviour Johnathan McIntosh literally said that Tracer isn't gay enough because she's hot and doesn't make men uncomfortable.

But it's all about "representation" right?

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 3088d ago
warriorcase3089d ago

??
I hope your just trolling/joking?

littlefatgirl3089d ago

You realize that Bill from The Last Of Us, who was only in the main game - not the dlc - was gay?

Sharingan_no_Kakashi3089d ago

Funny thing is I didn't at first cuz he talked about his friend as just a partner.

Goldby3088d ago

@sharingan

Hate to break it to ya, Ellie was lesbian in Last of Us even before Left Behind came out (no pun intended)

But hey maybe its time we all grow up and learn that what people do in the privacy of their own home and who they love has no effect on any of us.

Unless its a love triangle

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3088d ago
Kyosuke_Sanada3089d ago (Edited 3089d ago )

I remember when Fear Effect 2 revealed homosexual characters, there wasn't really any hype behind it. And even though it was a talked about subject after the fact, it only lasted a month like any other relationship.

Equality, ladies and gents.........

Show all comments (97)
140°

Introducing Project Defiant, the first wireless fight stick designed by Sony

First look at the upcoming controller, which uses PlayStation Link technology to deliver wireless connectivity with ultra-low latency for fighting games.

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blog.playstation.com
darthv721d 17h ago

Interesting.... I'll get one.

1d 14h ago
Babadook71d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

Great for Marvel Tokon Fighting
Souls (which looked amazing).

Disccordia1d 9h ago

It can also be used wired which is fairly important to note. Anybody using this thing competitively won't go anywhere near wireless.

170°

CD Projekt RED History Suggests The Witcher 4 Demo May Be More Marketing Than Gameplay

The history of CD Projekt RED suggests that the recently shown demo for The Witcher 4 may be more marketing than actual gameplay.

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twistedvoxel.com
Sonyslave32d ago

Not only CDPR but Epic Games as well i still haven't seen any game with that fidelty of that Ps5 tech demo .. that was 2020

VenomUK1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

Digital Foundry in its reaction video said they believe the demo reflects real performance, as overstating it’s competence on PS5 could bring significant risks to Epic Games’ shareholders and legal risks.

https://youtu.be/5PIyPpB83V...

Eonjay1d 1h ago

Actually Horizon Forbidden West exceeds this in image quality. So it seems very plausible. Intergalactic is actually beyond this presntation in IQ, RT and resolution and thats locked 60FPS as well. As far as the usage of hardware RT in UE, they were able to reduce the CPU overhead.

This was a tech demo for UE 5.6. That was clearly stated and is evident by the presentation itself where several of the new features of UE are highlighted

This article title is inaccurate because this was not a demo for Witcher 4. It was a technical demonstration of Unreal Engine 5.6.

Christopher1d 23h ago (Edited 1d 23h ago )

***Cyberpunk 2077’s gameplay features that were showcased in initial footage but never made it into the final game***

They literally made a big deal of telling everyone that they changed the gameplay of CP2077 during development and then did a new demo of the game with the new gameplay. There was no hiding this to the public. CP2077's problem with the buggy as heck and obviously too early release.

This is really bad journalism to promote this line of thinking. It's an attempt to rewrite history. You can definitely say you preferred the initial demo, but they were very open and clear when they moved from third-person to first-person that it would include major changes in gameplay and showed those off multiple times a year prior to the game's release.

---

As to the point of this article? Yeah, the whole event is a marketing event. I don't trust anything until it's released, tbh. No matter who is making it. I can still be excited by what I see, but it's not going to get me to pre-order a game or get me to go out there and sell what I saw as if it will be just like that in the full release.

neutralgamer19921d 18h ago

What about the fact CDPR showed gameplay behind closed doors which wasn't real? They dusnt allow anyone to bring their phones or any tech so once media came out of that gameplay reveal CP2077 was hyped to the moon and back. CDPR didn't show console gameplay so let's not act like they were transparent when they switched from 3rd to 1st person when they lied at launch of the game

Christopher1d 17h ago

You mean rumors? You want me to comment on rumors from Bloomberg? We arguing the belief of rumors now and not news?

Here's that fake demo - https://www.youtube.com/wat...

If you've played the game, you know how much that lines up with the final product. That's what I know.

***let's not act like they were transparent when they switched from 3rd to 1st person when they lied at launch of the game***

They literally re-demoed the game with the change, so they were transparent. You're just acting like they weren't when in 2018 they literally demoed the new gameplay. That's 2 years prior to release.

I don't know what they 'lied at launch of the game' is supposed to mean.

-

This game had enough wrong with it at release that we don't need to be arguing rumors and online hatred of the gameplay changes shown in 2018.

neutralgamer19921d 17h ago

Christopher, just to clarify — I'm not trying to be overly negative or dismissive. I fully acknowledge that CD Projekt Red was transparent when they switched from third-person to first-person and even re-demoed the game to reflect that. Credit where it’s due — they did show that change publicly.

But the real issue for me is how the game launched. Despite that transparency earlier on, they deliberately withheld gameplay from the console versions and still charged full price for something that was nowhere near ready. That’s where trust was broken. The game was released in a clearly unfinished and broken state, and it took years to get it into a playable condition. That goes beyond mistakes — that’s a serious failure in leadership and consumer respect.

So when I see something like the Witcher 4 tech demo — and yes, I understand it’s Epic showcasing Unreal Engine 5 — I can’t help but approach it with caution. It’s not blind skepticism, but earned skepticism. A lot of the original developers have left CDPR, so we can’t assume this next game will automatically reach Witcher 3 levels of excellence.

I want it to be amazing. We all do. But I’m not going to fully believe the hype until independent gamers and trusted content creators — people with a reputation for honesty and not being paid off — get their hands on it and say, “Yes, this is great.” Until then, it’s just marketing.

They built up enormous goodwill after The Witcher 3 and the free DLCs — but they lost much of that with Cyberpunk's release. Even platform holders like PlayStation and Xbox, who once trusted CDPR to self-certify, don’t anymore. That alone speaks volumes.

Again, it’s not hate — it’s caution born from experience

CrimsonIdol1d 16h ago

"Despite that transparency earlier on, they deliberately withheld gameplay from the console versions"
It was a multiplatform release, and yes they botched it, but clearly consoles weren't lead development platform, PC was. They clearly were hoping that they could get everything together by launch, and this was a mistake. I think them showing this running on a PS5 is a clear indicator that they've learnt from this.

But there are plenty of reasons not to get too excited about this, and it's not hidden behind any lies, it's right there watermarked on the footage. this is a technical presentation of the Unreal 5 engine, running on the PS5 at 60fps. This is technology that may be in the Witcher, this is not the Witcher.

Lightning771d 23h ago

Because it is marketing. Epic did the flying sand girl in 2020 now this with Witcher. I still wanna see what games shows the original showing of Unreal 5? It's been 5 years exactly.

Michiel19891d 18h ago

ofc it is, no real gameplay suddenly xrays a horse to show how its muscles are moving realistically.

CrimsonIdol1d 16h ago

It literally had text telling you it wasn't gameplay.

Extermin8or3_22h ago

They were literally showing off the fact it seamlessly can transition from gameplay to ctsceme those aspects of presentation were clear cutscenes....

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90°

Giant Skull, A Studio Founded By Respawn Veterans, Is Making A D&D Game

The studio was founded in March of 2024 by Stig Asmussen, director of the Star Wars: Jedi games.

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gameinformer.com