The Overwatch 2 cast is one of the more diverse that you’ll see in gaming, and as advocates of the queer community, Blizzard has taken another leap today by announcing that its latest hero, Lifeweaver, is the game’s first openly pansexual character.
In the past, the sexuality of some heroes has been divulged through various lore. Tracer was revealed to be in a lesbian relationship in the 2016 digital comic book Tracer: Reflections. The comic depicted Tracer sharing a kiss with her girlfriend, Emily.
Meanwhile, Blizzard confirmed that Soldier: 76 is gay after the 2019 short story Bastet included a conversation between Ana and Jack Morrison discussing a previous romantic relationship that Morrison had with a man named Vincent.
With Soldier and Tracer, Blizzard intentionally tried to emphasize other characteristics about the heroes before revealing their sexuality. But with the game’s 37th hero, the devs wanted to take a different approach.
In an interview, Overwatch’s lead narrative designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie said that the team had discussions with people to make sure that they approached Lifeweaver’s sexuality appropriately. And in doing so, they realized that openness would be a crucial element.
“Representation has always been important to this team and we’ve been looking for a way to express that more,” Jurgens-Fyhrie said. “You’ll see that reflected in both his in-game lines, his conversations, and other material.”
Not only was openness critical, but Jurgens-Fyhrie added that it was important to those who Blizzard consulted that Lifeweaver’s sexuality be more than just a label—and players will see that in the way he interacts with other heroes in the game.
According to Jurgens-Fyhrie, Lifeweaver is a little bit of a flirt, and players will see that play out with pre-match dialog between the handsome flower-themed character and others in the lobby.
“I’m very happy to say it’s something we are making a part of his core character,” Jurgens-Fyhrie said. “You’ll see this expressed in conversations with other heroes. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but there’s going to be some flirting going on.”
Related: Flirty new Overwatch 2 hero Lifeweaver appears to land a date during pre-game dialog
Despite saying he didn’t want to spoil any surprises, Jurgens-Fyhrie confirmed that there is at least one character that is receptive to Lifeweaver’s advances. So be on the lookout come April 11 in your quick play lobbies. There will almost assuredly be a Lifeweaver chatting up another hero in most of them, and there’s a hero out there that’s picking up what he’s throwing down.
