The latest Overwatch leak gives us a look at the game’s next hero

With Blizzcon just a matter of days away, leaks for new game announcements are coming at a swift rate. In the last week, we have had two Diablo 4 related leaks and another two leaks for Overwatch 2. With any leak, it is usually best to remain sceptical until official confirmations come through. That is not the case with today's Overwatch leak though, as it comes directly from Blizzard's store and seems to confirm the game's long-awaited 32nd hero. 

As a quick reminder, the first Overwatch 2 leak came from a well-sourced streamer who previously leaked announcements for Blizzcon 2018. Then, a second leak came from ESPN, with the site claiming to have obtained an internal document running over some of the key talking points for Overwatch 2. From what we know so far, the sequel to Overwatch will carry over all previous heroes and expand the game with a ‘significant' PvE mode, which will essentially act as a story mode. This new PvE portion of the game will also include “hero talents and in-game items”, with the suggestion being that you will be able to upgrade individual heroes as you go.

On the multiplayer side, Overwatch is expected to expand with a new map set in Toronto and a new game mode called ‘Push'. The final tidbit revealed in previous leaks is that a new hero character is expected to be revealed, which brings us nicely to today's leak.

Last night, the Blizzard merchandise store was updated and accidentally revealed new, never-before-seen Overwatch art, picturing several of the heroes we already know in addition to one new character. The image has since been removed from the site but not before screenshots could be taken:

If you're not super familiar with Overwatch characters, the new hero you want to look out for in the leaked image is the flying one with the blue head positioned off to the left of Mercy. The running theory is that this is Echo, the long-rumoured 32nd Overwatch hero.

Echo has been part of Overwatch lore for almost a year now, with her first appearance taking place in the animated short “Reunion”. The animated short tells us that Echo was deactivated sometime after Overwatch disbanded and was reactivated by McCree some time after Winston began calling Overwatch agents to band together again. Echo doesn't know how long she was switched off for and McCree has his own affairs to attend to, so we don't get many answers by the end of the short.

Previously, Overwatch Director, Jeff Kaplan, has said that Echo is a “very important character” who will play a “large role” in the story moving forward. With that in mind, Echo sounds like the perfect hero to kick off Overwatch 2 with its new focus on telling stories in-game.

Blizzcon kicks off on Friday the 1st of November and there are a bunch of on-stage events scheduled in on the first day that aren't yet revealed. With that in mind, we should hear more about this before the end of this week.

KitGuru Says: I have always loved the Overwatch animated shorts, so I would welcome a new game with a bigger focus on expanding and telling those stories in-game. Blizzcon isn't far off now, so all should be made clear very soon. What do you all think of the Overwatch 2 leaks so far? 

Become a Patron!