The makers of Overwatch, Blizzard, have stated they are looking into changing how the new hero Anran looks. This comes after a lot of talk and some complaints from players and even the person who voices Anran. She was shown off for the first time last week, and people had opinions about her face.
Anran is one of five new characters joining Overwatch now. The game, which used to be called Overwatch 2, is getting these new heroes as part of a big update called ‘The Reign of Talon.’ Some players got to try Anran out early over the weekend.
The issue has two main parts that are connected. First, some people feel that Overwatch characters often have faces that look too similar, especially the women. They call it ‘same-face syndrome.’ Second, and this seems to be the bigger problem, Anran has been shown before looking quite different.
Anran is the sister of another Overwatch hero named Wuyang. When Wuyang was first introduced, Anran appeared alongside her in a video and in a comic book called ‘Against the Tide.’ In those earlier appearances, Anran had a different face, one that seemed more realistic and showed more strength. Even Blizzard agrees that this older look is different from the younger, cuter look Anran has in the game now.
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Images of Anran from the animated short and comic.
The team is looking into what it will take to make Anran look and feel more like the strong older sister we all imagine her to be. We are very proud of the work our team has done on Anran and the other five heroes coming out in Season 1. We agree that she can be even better if we get this part of her right in the game.
We thought about telling you all this last week but wanted to wait until we knew for sure what we could do. We hope to make this change in Season 1, but we don’t have exact details yet. Our character models are very complex, and we need to test what’s possible.
These comments from Aaron Keller come after players have been talking about this issue, and also after the voice actor for Anran, Fareeha Andersen, shared her thoughts. Andersen mentioned that there’s a bigger problem with how women are shown and what is considered beautiful in general.
She said that there was a hidden promise made in the animated short and comic, suggesting they would challenge the current beauty standards seen everywhere. She feels that the current look of Anran lets people down because it doesn’t match that earlier promise.
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Anran concept art.
She explained that Overwatch has always tried to be different and show that heroism can look many ways. But, she feels the current look for Anran doesn’t fit that idea and leaves a bad feeling. She thinks Anran looks too gentle, even softer than some of the game’s support characters, which doesn’t seem right for a hero who controls fire.
“She looks more docile than the most peacekeeping support in the game.”
Andersen also mentioned seeing many fan-made changes to Anran’s face and that she’s been saving them. She believes it’s important for players to speak up about things that matter to them, so they can see themselves better represented in the games they play.
Overwatch has been praised before for showing characters from different parts of the world. They introduced Ana, an older Egyptian woman, which was a type of character not often seen. Blizzard also tries to hire voice actors who share backgrounds with the characters, like they did with Fareeha Andersen for Anran and Kerem Erdinc for Emre, another new character.
This shows that Blizzard likely cares about these issues, and their quick response from Aaron Keller is a good sign. However, we still need to see what Blizzard will actually do about Anran’s appearance. And if they change Anran, will they also consider changing other characters?
This week is a big deal for Overwatch as it’s getting a sort of fresh start. Blizzard is planning to release new content like yearly expansions, telling ongoing stories. The first one, ‘The Reign of Talon,’ starts today, February 10th, and adds five new heroes, with five more planned for the year. There are many other changes too, including removing the ‘2’ from the game’s name. In a way, Overwatch is back.
