Blizzard's surprise has been revealed. Overwatch 2's newest hero, Kiriko, was unveiled in a video posted late Friday night by YouTuber Kuriboh Cervantes.
The firm tried to censor the short animated film that reveals part of Kiriko's past and showcases some of her talents, but it was too late. You may find the film trailer online with little effort.
The next installment of Blizzard's hero shooter series, Overwatch, is currently in development. The new game is a complete replacement for the original, and it has already redefined what Overwatch is, with the free-to-play business model being the most noticeable difference.
Overwatch 2 has added a few characters to its roster, including Sojourn (the game's first playable Black woman) and Junker Queen (a tank that looks like something out of Mad Max). In a radical break from the usual method of obtaining new Overwatch heroes through free updates, the new battle pass will be required to unlock new heroes on a regular basis.
Overwatch 2's $40 Watchpoint Pack includes skins, virtual in-game currency, a couple of Season 1 Premium battle pass tiers, and instant access to Kiriko once she hits the game. This week, Blizzard mistakenly unveiled Kiriko, a support hero, in a part of the pack that has since been deleted.
Kuriboh Cervantes stepped in with the unfinished Kiriko animated short just as Blizzard was trying to scrub all references to the character from promotional materials for Overwatch 2.
The cinematic, uploaded in Spanish with work-in-progress visuals, depicts the game's fox protagonist strutting around her manor, possibly chatting in sign language with her younger sister, and then “face kicking” the game's Yakuza, the Hashimoto clan.
She uses two kunai in combat, has what looks like a healing skill, and can teleport at will. At the end of the battle, Kiriko appears to activate several spectral torii gates, which grant her and her friend temporary power boosts. Imagining a hybrid of Lucio, Moira, and Tracer is giving me the willies just thinking about it.
Even though Blizzard has claimed copyright to the movie at this point, you can still find it all over the internet. According to PC Gamer, a password-protected mirror version may be viewed on Daily Motion right now. The password is “overwatch,” in case you were wondering. I know, so original, right?
Kiriko, the new Overwatch 2 support hero LEAKED! (via unfinished cinematic leaks)
what ya think?! pic.twitter.com/bHyDfyhJ8X
— Stylosa (@Stylosa) September 8, 2022
Attempts to contact Blizzard by Kotaku were unsuccessful.
Recently, Blizzard has been doing damage control, and not just to prevent another lawsuit. Instead, Blizzard is “addressing some incomplete material” about Overwatch 2 that it has been posting.
In particular, the game's marketing head John Spector stated on Twitter that the sequel's heroes will be accessible via the free track of the battle pass, suggesting that you'll have to either pay directly to unlock them or grind for hours to get access to the new cast of characters. Bummer.
On October 4, Overwatch 2 will be available for purchase on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch.