Overwatch Unveils Its Next Hero on July 21
Mysterious support sniper
Rumour has it that the next Overwatch [official site] character will be a support sniper, but you won't have to wait much longer to find out for certain. The next hero will be revealed at San Diego Comic-Con on July 21.
Blizzard developers are hosting a panel titled "Behind the Scenes of Overwatch's Newest Hero", so they're being pretty direct about it. Here's the full description from Comic-Con:
"Blizzard developers James Waugh (director of story & creative development), Michael Chu (senior designer, Overwatch), and Arnold Tsang (assistant art director, Overwatch) present a behind-the-scenes look into the creative process of developing the art, design, and story for Overwatch's newest hero. Q&A session moderated by Kim Phan (senior manager, esports)."
Blizzard haven't been shy, dropping generous hints on the upcoming hero, who's rumored to be a medic/sniper named Sombra. YouTuber Arekkz does a good job summing up all of the hints unearthed thus far in one tidy little video:
Players found character files on the Dorado map for Soldier 76, Jack Morrison, and the mysterious Sombra. Exploring further afield, Easter Eggs including a newspaper clipping about Sombra and photos of an elusive hooded figure turned up. All of these clues have stirred up quite a few fan theories, the most popular being that Sombra was a soldier in the same battle that defeated Soldier 76 and Reaper. Players turned super sleuths were especially delighted when a photo of a new sniper rifle popped up on the Overwatch Twitter account:
Looking at the picture more closely, you can see that the rifle was designed by Torbjörn and Mercy. The notes suggest the gun was originally meant to be a biotic device before Torbjörn revamped it into a sniper rifle. The weapon is solely intended for healing, although Mercy expresses her concerns over the rifle becoming "weaponized". All signs point to a healing support character with sniper capabilities.