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Overwatch may be getting another omnic hero soon. Blizzard’s latest teaser appears to hint at the next playable character and they might not be human—at least not in the most traditional sense of the word.
The teaser is a journal entry from the desk of Dr. Mina Liao, one of Overwatch’s six founding members. It details the researcher’s views on omnics and anticipates a new project.
The entry is dated from the earlier days of the organization, before the events in Overwatch. Liao was the mastermind behind Athena, created as an AI prototype for the organization. The success of the project caught the attention of Jack Morrison, who eventually became Soldier:76.
“The Athena prototype has been deemed a success, so much so that Jack’s finally agreed to authorize my new project,” the log reads. “And the timing couldn’t be better.” The email quickly takes a compassionate tone toward omnics, Overwatch’s denomination of robots.
“Why can’t we see that artificial life is fundamentally life?” Liao asks. “Instead, we’re going the opposite direction. Violence against omnics is on the rise, and even more governments are cracking down on their rights and freedoms.” The final aim of Liao’s project is to “change the conversation” and generate empathy toward omnics—and it’s likely that the creation will be an omnic as well.
The teaser may point to a familiar face. Echo made its Overwatch debut in the “Reunion” animated short and players believed she would join the fight as Hero 32. That spot ultimately went to Ashe, but Echo is still coming to the Overwatch franchise—even if it’s in the sequel.
Overwatch only added two playable heroes in 2019, breaking its tradition of introducing three heroes every year since launch. Sigma made his way to the servers in August and Blizzard hasn’t mentioned any new heroes in the game since. The company announced Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon and Echo was featured prominently in promotional material for the title.
Although the clues hint at Echo, Blizzard hasn’t officially confirmed the hero’s addition to Overwatch‘s roster for now. The mysterious character’s identity will likely become clearer as the company reveals more teasers.
