Overwatch 2 confirms that oddball heroes are here to stay: “I promise you the team loves oddballs and oddities.”

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Here is what the Overwatch 2 team had to say about “oddball” heroes. We also go over the game’s hero design philosophy.

During a live broadcast, the Overwatch 2 developers have spoken up regarding a question about their approach to game design. This issue arose due to an erroneous piece of information suggesting that the team might be abandoning characters with unique abilities like Wrecking Ball and Ramattra.

Overwatch 2 to get new oddball hero

As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled to share that during a recent live stream, Game Director Alec Dawson revealed some exciting insights about Overwatch 2. He confirmed that iconic characters like Winston and Bastion are integral to the game’s essence, and there’s more to look forward to as we delve deeper into this vibrant universe. Additionally, he hinted at a new “oddity” hero in development. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates on this intriguing detail! For those who missed it, you can catch the live stream replay, kindly provided by ZenofyMedia on X, below.

During the livestream, Dawson explained that the Overwatch team consists of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and peculiar characters. Heroes such as Winston and Bastion are crucial to our universe; they’re what make Overwatch distinct. They serve as the unique flavor that sets our universe apart. In addition, he hinted at a peculiar character in development without revealing details. However, he promised to share more information about upcoming heroes soon, and he’s excited about it!

Dylan Snyder, lead designer of Stadium for the game, likewise expressed his thoughts on the issue, affirming to fans that the developers of Overwatch 2 genuinely appreciate quirks and curiosities.

“Y’all I promise you the team loves oddballs and oddities,” he wrote. “Trust.”

Addressing Overwatch 2’s oddballs and attractive characters

During a collective job interview, a media outlet inquired whether Overwatch 2 was transitioning towards developing more traditionally attractive human heroes rather than characters such as Wrecking Ball, Winston, and Ramattra. In contradiction to some rumors, the Overwatch 2 team stated that they are not, in fact, abandoning these character types. Any claims to the contrary are unfounded.

The Overwatch 2 developers shared that they aim to create heroes as inspiring and eccentric characters, confirming that these unusual figures will also be included in their future plans. They mentioned that developing these characters can be complex due to the intricacies of their equipment and designs, but they are currently working on some thrilling new ones. This aligns with what Dawson said during today’s live stream.

In relation to our constant desire to present and elevate the characters of Overwatch, these heroes are, in a way, inspirational or idealistic figures, aren’t they? That’s the approach we will continue to take when creating Overwatch heroes. Essentially, we aim to make them inspiring not only through their physical attributes but also their skills and expertise, and because they are simply cool characters that we admire and aspire to emulate. This is our consistent approach to character design for Overwatch.

He added, “We’re definitely planning on expanding our roster of characters – let me put it this way: just like those unique personalities such as Wrecking Ball, we aim to bring in more heroes for sure. We’ll be integrating them gradually. I can’t reveal too many details, but I’m optimistic about the intriguing developments ahead.

Kenny Hudson, a key figure in production, further elaborated, stating that the creation of heroes in Overwatch 2 can stem from various aspects such as storyline, visual art, or gameplay mechanics. Characters like Ramattra and Wrecking Ball present intricate difficulties due to their complex rigging and animation requirements. However, the team remains committed to developing these characters despite these challenges.

Hudson noted that they often begin with the storyline, sometimes with the artwork, and frequently with the kit. One difficulty in designing characters like Ramattra and Wrecking Ball is finding a way to adapt their rigs and models to fit their abilities and portrayal style. This is something the team is currently tackling.

What is Overwatch 2’s hero design philosophy?

Previously, in an interview at DreamHack Stockholm over the weekend of Hazard’s Overwatch 2 playtest, Dawson stated that the fundamental aim for each Overwatch 2 hero is to instill a sense of being the star player within their own game. Each character is deliberately crafted with a learning curve, ensuring players remain captivated for countless hours.

Esports.gg: “Over the years, our Overwatch team has been instrumental in shaping characters like Ramattra, Lifeweaver, and now Hazard. In developing these iconic heroes and their backstories, what philosophy have you followed to ensure players connect with them deeply and feel compelled to play them?

When creating our heroes, we aim to design them so that they feel like the protagonist of their own video game. This means that players can spend countless hours mastering each character, continually learning and improving until they truly understand them. Although these characters are part of Overwatch’s roster, they each have their unique gameplay elements.

Hudson also shared his thoughts, stating that the guiding principle is about constant learning.

In my perspective, it’s challenging to single out just one hero as an exemplar. Each hero we create is a product of our continuous learning, whether that learning comes from successes or mistakes, which we carry over to the next creation. Since we usually work on several heroes concurrently, we can effortlessly incorporate these real-time lessons into the ongoing development process. In essence, my guiding philosophy would simply be “keep learning, keep progressing.

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2025-08-14 23:24