"Overwatch" action figures from the hot new video "shooters" game sprouted in Hollywood, Paris and South Korea, creating lots of social media buzz as Blizzard Entertainment began a worldwide promotion last week, observed the ever-watchful website
Polygon.
It worked because the buzz electrified the normally insular gamer world and spilled into Monday morning's top trending news stories the day before "Overwatch" launches on major platforms.
"Overwatch" is a team-based shooter video game that pits a diverse cast of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and "oddities" against each other (gamer for killing each other) in a worldwide global conflict, according to its
Facebook page.
Fans of the upcoming multi-player game also were teased on Thursday when "Overwatch" sent out messages on Twitter and Facebook with the words "agents activated," leaving many followers to guess that was going on, said Polygon.
"… But eagle-eyed fans on Twitter and Reddit have already uncovered the surprise," said Polygon. "The company is currently installing oversized action figures based on characters from the upcoming team-based shooter in cities across the globe, according to photos posted online."
Website
IGN said the action figure of the "Overwatch" character Tracer was spotted on Hollywood's Wall of Fame.
"Being in the middle of a busy tourist area, tons of people were taking pictures, although none seemed to know what it was, save for one teenage girl who ran up, excited as can be, talking about how much she couldn't wait to play as Tracer, her favorite character," said IGN.
Polygon said the character Genji was placed outside the Pompidou Centre in Paris while the character Pharah appeared in Busan, South Korea.
"The fine print on Tracer's box suggests that these figures are merely promotional," said Polygon. "Whether or not actual "Overwatch" action figures are on the way remains to be seen."
Polygon said "Overwatch" will be available Tuesday on PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One.
Fans gladly spread the word about the giant action figures on social media.