In light of the recent events happening in Overwatch, could it be possible that we are getting more than just one hero? Similarly, the game is already adapting to the ongoing lore bits as the public test region (PTR) has some shocking map changes.
The 'Efi Oladele Arc' Recapped
New heroes are always a great feature in multiplayer games as players have the option to try out a completely new style of gameplay. While the thought itself is enough to get a player excited, Blizzard likes to take it up a notch with Overwatch and leave interactive clues and hints. Although the Sombra alternate reality game (ARG) was long winded with clues spread out far too much, the studio has seemingly learned from their experience and is condensing all the information.
Now, Blizzard is back at it again as they are teasing another hero that might possibly reach the game next week. At first, many fans believed that the next hero we would be getting is the gauntlet wielder, Doomfist. However, a recent post by game director, Jeff Kaplan, on the official forums had players quickly speculating a completely new character.
Moreover, Blizzard recently dropped an unexpected 'interview' with a brilliant 11-year-old inventor, Efi Oladele. At that point in time, the fanbase leaned towards a previous leak hinting at a new spider hero named Anchora that would supposedly be a tank character, similar to Reinhardt. However, instead of getting one new character, Redditor KalebAT theorized that perhaps Blizzard will be releasing two heroes.
Athena to Join the Fight in Overwatch?
To start off, he claimed that Efi will be involved in the creation of Athena who is the announcer of the game and Winston's assistant. The theory goes that there will be a major fight between Talon and the Overwatch team wherein the villains manage to get their hands on the gauntlet. Because of this, Winston turns to Efi in order to give Athena a body who then tries to contain the situation.
The leak stated that the Anchora is a quadruped omnic that has a West African accent. In line with this, the very first Overwatch animated short had a spider-like robot with the letter 'A' embedded on its head, similar to that of Athena's logo. On the other hand, the artificial intelligence also seems to have a different body seen in another concept art with all of the heroes. It is worth noting that this certain body frame of hers is seemingly present in the Temple of Anubis map.
That aside, Athena seems to have a certain accent that almost sounds West African whenever she announces something. Also, take note that Blizzard has been wanting to make the announcer a playable hero. With this in mind, it does not seem too far off for the artificial intelligence to come to life.
Events That May Happen in a Cinematic Short
As for a possible cinematic short, the characters that might be making an appearance are Winston, Tracer, Lucio (remember his concert?), Reaper, Widowmaker, Sombra and Efi. Picture a big fight over the gauntlet takes place with Winston ultimately asking Efi for help to bring over Athena as she might be able to help with the fight for the gauntlet. In spite of their efforts, the heroes will ultimately lose judging by the shattered glass on the payload.
Following this, the Talon operatives manage to bring back the Gauntlet to their base and they manage to 'create' the next Doomfist. Blizzard would then bring in Athena (or Anchora) to the game followed by the new Doomfist shortly afterward. Things are already heating up in the public test region as the lore changes have already been placed in the game, as per another Reddit post.
The Numbani airport is smashed and the gauntlet is officially missing. It seems likely that Blizzard will release more information regarding the new hero(es) shortly. For now, fans will just have to wait for the seemingly major Overwatch announcement that will take place soon.
