Soldier: 76 is in focus in latest Overwatch short story

Overwatch fans have a new piece of literature to chew on.

The latest Overwatch short story is set after the events of Ana’s comic “Old Soldiers” and is authored by Michael Chu.

New character developments are brought to light in the aftermath of the reunion between Ana Bastet, Gabriel Reyes (Reaper), and Jack Morrison (Soldier: 76). Bastet provides a monologue regarding Jack and Ana about their life choices, and ties together a lot of the past lore we’ve already seen and read about.

The story focuses on Ana’s goal to take on criminal boss Hakim of Cairo. Jack gets hurt along the way, and much of the story’s focus settles on the dialogue between Ana and Jack while the latter is nursed back to health.

If you’d like to read the story yourself rather than being spoiled, you can find it here.

One of the most interesting character developments to come out of Bastet’s recollection is Jack Morrison’s sexual identity. When Jack and Ana are conversing, he looks at a photo of himself and another man. Ana asked if he still held a candle for him, alluding to Morrison’s relationship with the man being romantic. While the exact nature of Jack’s sexuality is not made clear, the relationship does confirm him as the second character in the franchise to be labeled LGBT.

Author Michael Chu further clarified on Twitter that “Jack and Vincent were in a romantic relationship many years ago. Both identify as gay.”

The short story was the first of its kind in Overwatch lore. Fans have previously been presented with videos and comics to deliver game’s lore.

Video games have in recent years seen an increase in inclusivity for people of different sexualities, genders, ethnicities, and other cultural variances. Activision-Blizzard has made no secret of the company’s desire to promote inclusivity within Overwatch.