Following criticisms that their new game, Paladins, strikes up far too many similarities to Overwatch, Hi-Rez COO Todd Harris provided a statement to IGN explaining how the claims are a tad too far off the mark.
Instead of calling out how Paladins is a "fantasy version" of their initial, short-lived MMO Global Agenda, Harris appeared adamant that they took most of their inspiration from Team Fortress 2 - the game which also inspired Global Agenda, stating how the vast majority of the in-game abilities in Paladins are reworked versions of those seen in their original class-based MMO/Shooter hybrid.
Further defending his title, Harris went on to say "Given the marketing of Overwatch many people do not even realize that some of our champions, like the mini-gun mech (Ruckus) and the ice block character (Evie), were available and playable in the Paladins Beta long before similar character abilities were shown in Overwatch. And specific features, such as Chests, were also demonstrated in Paladins ahead of Overwatch. People who are interested can see all this early gameplay footage on YouTube and come to their own conclusions."
With news of a spiritual successor to Global Agenda drying up almost as quickly as it appeared, and the massive amount of ties linking Paladins to their past game, it's becoming progressively more clear that work on a Global Agenda sequel likely went on to become Paladins, much like how Blizzard's scrapped MMO 'Titan' eventually formed the basis for Overwatch.
