Who is Blizzard's next 'Overwatch' hero? This tweet has many clues
A sniper who also heals? Is that a healing grenade, too? Does that gun even do damage, or does it just restore health?
Blizzard set the minds of Overwatch fans racing on Wednesday with a tweet bearing a blueprint-style image of a sniper rifle that hasn't appeared in the game before. The clues in the image line up with long-standing fan theories about the game's highly anticipated 22nd hero.
The gun, described as a "prototype biotic rifle," appears to combine elements of Mercy's Caduceus Staff -- which alternately heals or boosts the damage of the targeted ally -- and Soldier: 76's Biotic Field healing station.
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Arrows drawn onto the blueprint suggest that the Caduceus technology is worked into the barrel/frame of the gun. The Biotic Field, on the other hand, is turned into some kind of canister. Is that an ammo clip? Or perhaps a healing grenade? A healing grenade launcher even?
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Text on the blueprint details an exchange between Torbjörn, who designed the gun, and Mercy, who is also named in the tweet text (A[ndrea] Ziegler).
The Torbjörn text reads:
As discussed, this is the proposed rifle that could be equipped by medics in the field. Despite what my esteemed colleague will surely suggest, the application of her Biotic Field technology is only intended to be used for healing.
And the Mercy text, seemingly in response, reads:
While Torbjörn has, as ever, put forth a very clever design for his later weapon, I would like to remind everyone that my intention when agreeing to the development of different biotic delivery mechanisms was to save the lives of Overwatch agents and others in need of medical aid. With this latest proposal, it is clear to me that we are on the slippery slope to modifications that will inevitably result in a weaponized version of this technology: something that I have been completely opposed to from the beginning.
Torbjörn and Mercy seem to be in agreement that biotic technology is only meant for healing, so who is this "esteemed colleague" Torb refers to? Presumably it's whoever delivered the "latest proposal" that Mercy mentions.
The only other clues are the recipients of the message, listed in the top left corner as "J. Morrison" and G. Reyes." That's Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, better known as Overwatch heroes Soldier: 76 and Reaper, respectively.
Reaper is the key here; he has a line of dialogue in the game that goes: "Where is Sombra when you need her?" The name Sombra is also referenced in a Spanish newspaper on the Dorado map.
This is where the facts of Blizzard's tweet tease start to collide with fandom speculation. A growing pile of evidence (helpfully gathered here on the Overwatch subreddit) suggests that Sombra is an upcoming hero whose role is support sniper.
There's other speculative evidence that suggests Sombra is none other than Ana Amari, believed to be the mother of Overwatch hero Pharah and a known founder of the titular organization. That theory gets a seeming nod in Blizzard's near-identical tweet on the @OverwatchBrasil account, which lists an "A. Amari" alongside the other two message recipients.
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Do you have any theories on what's coming up for Overwatch? Have you spotted anything the subreddit missed? Let us know in the comments.
Topics Blizzard Entertainment Esports Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
