Could Overwatch’s McCree buffs be a hint at the next major update?

A new update recently came out on the PTR that significantly buffs McCree, among other heroes, but players are asking why exactly Overwatch decided to beef up the gunslinger in the latest update.

Every other hero included in the January 23 Overwatch PTR update was nerfed, except for McCree, who saw buffs to his ultimate and 50 additional health added.

Even though the hero ban rumors have been shot down by Jeff Kaplan, Overwatch personalities have been signing non-disclosure agreements with Blizzard about an upcoming update, so it must be something big coming.

Jeff Kaplan said a new Developer Update would be out for players sometime this week (starting January 27) with more information, but without any solid facts at the time of writing, Overwatch players have been speculating on what could be headed our way.

Reddit user gmarkerbo suggested that McCree’s buff could signal a new hero on the way, one that fans have been wondering about for over a year.

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“Perhaps next week we are getting Echo? From the cinematic you can see that McCree and Echo have a special relationship. Perhaps this also extends to in-game synergy,” gmarkerbo speculated. “They did a similar pre-patch before Moira was introduced, buffed Mei and Reaper in anticipation of a tank heavy meta.”

A new hero may or may not be coming with the big developer update, but gmarkerbo did admit they were being a little ambitious with their theory.

“Of course it can still be just them trying to compensate for his fire rate being reverted,” they admitted. “But it is fun to hope we are getting a new hero soon.”

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Another Reddit user named CrestfallenOW said they thought the McCree buffs had arrived at the perfect time for him to be used for Overwatch League Season 3.

“I just think McCree was buffed so he gets the spotlight in OWL,” they suggested. “Instead of something significantly less exciting, like Mei.”

While a new hero might seem unlikely, we haven’t had one since Sigma came out in the Summer of 2019, and it would be hard to think that Blizzard wouldn’t release a new hero until we get Overwatch 2.

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Whether it’s a new character or something else coming, fans will probably have to wait for Jeff’s next Developer Update to find out exactly what it is.