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Overwatch’s Orisa started as a weird Zarya and Bastion mashup

ByChristine Wang Dickson
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

It sounds weird, but we are not questioning Blizzard’s methods, especially if it will get us a hero like Orisa.

Overwatch developers recently released a video giving us a behind-the-scenes look at how upcoming hero Orisa came into being.

The idea behind Orisa was to give players another “anchor tank” option when it comes to anchoring a team. Just as Reinhardt is indispensable for most team compositions, so Orisa should also serve in that same capacity.

In the hero preview video, developers reveal that Orisa really started from a very strange mashup of Zarya and Bastion.

“We see a gothic Zarya, adds to it Bastion’s cannon,” Jeff Kaplan said, “It was just a combination of cobbled together parts, but it was instantly fun and that’s how we knew we were on to a good hero.”

Instantly fun, sure, Jeff. But also maybe the stuff of nightmares. Just maybe.

The developers touch on Orisa’s African-inspired coloring, which drew heavily on the lines and hues found on the Numbani map. They also point out that Orisa is the game’s first four-legged character, making her unique and adding to the variety of Omnics within the game’s lore.

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While Orisa may soon become a staple part of teams at all levels, Orisa is technically the “youngest” hero in the lineup, as the in-game story has her being built by young genius Efi Oladele only quite recently. Orisa is considered the guardian of Numbani, meant to keep citizens safe, and could be a true foil to Doomfist, a character that many players think is still on the way.

“I think she’s a core character to the Overwatch lineup in terms of gameplay mechanics and functionality,” Kaplan said. “She’s going to serve a very unique role in Overwatch.”

Orisa will hit consoles and PCs on March 21.

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