The hype begins.
Blizzard has today published a new in-game story over on Overwatch‘s official website that introduces fans to a new character living in the game’s universe. The fictional interview, which you can read here, is with one Efi Oladele, a young girl from Numbani who has been recognized for her genius intellect and contribution to the field of “robotics and artificial intelligence.” The most recent recipient of the Adawe Foundation’s “genius grant,” the article goes on to say Efi will be someone who’s career will be watched with “great interest.”
Well then, where do we even start? The first, most obvious conclusion to come to here is that Efi is slated to be Overwatch‘s next playable hero, but would Blizzard make it that obvious and clear cut? We know from the – some would say drawn out – various teasers and ARGs (augmented reality game) used in the build-up for Sombra’s announcement that the developer likes to have a little fun with these sorts of things, so if Efi is next to join Overwatch‘s cast, it might be wise to expect some sort of twist.
The mock interview goes into detail about how Efi became famous for being a dab hand at creating all sorts of drones and other robots, so it could well be that she isn’t so much the next playable character, but the individual that controls the hero. We’ll have to see, but considering how young Efi is, it’s unlikely Blizzard will make a child directly usable on the battlefield.
Either way, the above comes just a day after game director Jeff Kaplan hinted that Overwatch‘s next hero wouldn’t be “who you think it is,” likely referring to the frequent teases from various sources that Doomfist was next in line.
Stay tuned, folks. You know there’s going to be more.