Blizzard has teased the next hero for Overwatch, with a new image suggesting it’ll be some kind of healer/sniper.
The Overwatch Twitter account posted a blueprint for a new weapon called the “Prototype Biotic Rifle,” alongside some of the game’s support tools – check it out below.
[ARCHIVE] Communications Records of Ziegler, A. – Overwatch File 00231 – Security Classification: CONFIDENTIAL pic.twitter.com/lLAxTL2DhO
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) July 6, 2016
You’ll notice that the blueprint also displays a conversation between characters Torbjorn and Mercy, in which the pair debate the potential uses for the new rifle.
The rifle uses Mercy’s biotic technology (which powers her own healing staff). Ironically, she worries about the possibility of a weaponized version of the rifle – perhaps don’t make it a rifle in the first place?
At any rate, Torbjorn assures her that it’s ‘only intended to be used for healing.’ We’ll have to wait and see whether that’s true or not.
Game director Jeff Kaplan discussed adding new heroes to Overwatch last month. Apparently some are nearly done, while there are ‘others that are just getting started.’
Kaplan also pointed out that many of the heroes Blizzard is working on are prototypes and may never see release, though it would be odd if Blizzard teased this healing sniper chap if they had no intentions of releasing them soon.
Overwatch’s competitive play mode recently launched last week, and despite a few problems, folk seem to be enjoying it. It’ll be interesting to see how the addition of new characters changes things up.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.