Overwatch 2 devs reveal Sojourn was almost released early as OW1 hero
Blizzard EntertainmentThe Overwatch 2 beta is launching on April 26 with just one new hero, that being Sojourn, but according to the developers, there were talks to release her early in the original Overwatch.
Fans of Overwatch have been waiting a long time for a new hero to be released. Ever since Echo, the game’s 32nd hero, was released back in 2020, players have been frustrated without a new roster addition.
Now, with the Overwatch 2 beta finally drawing near, players will get their wish, but they could have been playing Sojourn a lot earlier according to devs.
During a controversial Soujourn reveal livestream, Art Director Dion Rogers and Lead Hero Designer Geoff Goodman touched on the possibility of releasing her as an Overwatch 1 hero.
Sojourn could have been an Overwatch 1 hero
Speaking on the “importance” of adding a black female hero to the game, Rogers explained that the team wanted to be sure that she didn’t come across as a “random addition” to the game’s cast.
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“We juggled with the launch, do we release her early and diminish this part of her story or power through the development and wait until it’s the right time to release her, which we believed was Overwatch 2,” he said.
Furthermore, Geoff Goodman stressed that there were legitimate discussions to release her early given the complexity of Overwatch 2’s development and how long things were taking.
“Do we push this as a live hero?” Goodman recalled the devs pondering. “You’re sort of like, ‘maybe, it would take a lot of time because it would take considerable effort,’ and also she’s so integrated and so centerpiece to Overwatch 2 it felt a little disingenuous to put her out early.”
According to Goodman, he believes that the game will be better for not releasing Sojourn as an original Overwatch hero, but the cost was fans and developers needing to be a bit more patient.
In any case, the wait for Sojourn is nearly over. Fans can sign up now to get their hands on the Overwatch 2 beta and be the first to try out the sequel and all the new stuff it has to offer.