Overwatch: Deadlock Rebels

This article is about the novel. For the group of the same name, see Deadlock Gang.

Deadlock Rebels
Issue number	#2
Author	Lyndsay Ely
Artist	Xiao Tong
Publisher	Scholastic Inc.
Pages	304
Release date	June 1, 2021
Previous issue	The Hero of Numbani

Overwatch: Deadlock Rebels is the second Overwatch novel.

Description

The world still needs heroes. Are you with us? Enter the next original YA novel for Overwatch, the worldwide gaming sensation from Blizzard Entertainment!

In the years after the Omnic Crisis, the American Southwest is ruled by vultures looking to profit off the chaos. The West is ripe for the taking, and Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe intends to write her name across it.

When Ashe is arrested yet again on the morning of her high school graduation, her aloof, old-money parents decide to disinherit her from the family fortune. To steal back what’s rightfully hers, Ashe teams up with her omnic butler, B.O.B., and local ruffian Jesse McCree for a series of heists, catapulting the trio into a game of fast money and dangerous alliances. Along the way, Ashe discovers that family isn’t just about blood. It’s about the people who’ve got your back when your back’s against the wall.

Full of high-octane chases and action-packed stand-offs, the second novel for Overwatch explores the founding of the Deadlock Gang and the origins of fan-favorite heroes Ashe and McCree. Don’t miss this incredible, original story straight from the Overwatch game team and critically acclaimed author Lyndsay Ely.

Characters

Major

• Elizabeth Ashe
• B.O.B.
• Jesse McCree
• Benito Sanchez-Bez
• Frankie
• Julian

Minor

• Alyssa
• Jimmy Bonny
• Jodie Bonny
• Carson
• Dezba
• Doherty
• Jaya
• Liu
• Marco
• Metal Mary
• Mr Ashe
• Mrs Ashe
• Wallach
• Zeke

Mentioned

• Caledonia Ashe
• Ace Valentine

Organizations

• Arbalest Arms Company
• Bellerae Daily Pioneer
• Bellerae Police Department
• Deadlock Rebels
• Diamondbacks
• Harpies

Locations

The entire novel takes place in Texas, United States:

• Ace Valentine megafarm
• Arbalest Fulfillment Center Beta-3
• Bellerae
• Cutthroat Trout's
• Deadlock Gorge
  • High Side Cantina
  • Route 66
    • Panorama Diner
• Fort Starr
• Lead Rose Manor
• The Hopper

Development

The publisher contacted Lyndsay Ely about potentially working on the project. In response, she drafted a couple of sample chapters, which were accepted. Ely has commented that the novel is "by far the fastest book I’ve ever written." To help on the project, Ely consumed as much Overwatch content as she could. This included watching all of the game's cinematics, consulting fansites, watching gameplay videos, and read The Hero of Numbani. She played the music from Zero Hour on loop while doing the research. She didn't play Overwatch itself however.

Ely's biggest challenge was imagining the context of the timeframe, as the novel takes place not long after the Omnic Crisis, but decades before the events of Overwatch itself. There was a fair amount of thinking through what the tech was like, how people were coping post-war, what sorts of recoveries were still in process, etc, and how those things would influence the story’s setting and characters.