Blizzard revealed Overwatch's newest hero in a tweet earlier today, Hammond, a hamster in a mech called Wrecking Ball. This is Overwatch's 28th addition to the roster. Hammond shares his origin with another character in the game, Winston - a super intelligent gorilla from Horizon Lunar Colony, a map that was added to the game last year. The Horizon Lunar Colony in Overwatch lore was an experiment meant to turn gorillas into scientists which ended poorly. Its subjects rebelled, launching human scientists into space.
According to the Overwatch Wiki, Hammond was the name given to a test subject formally known as Specimen 8. Before the base's fall, he escaped from his cage, landing in Junkertown (another map in the game) and modified his escape pod to become a mech known as Wrecking Ball. Like past heroes, he's playable in the Overwatch PTR before being available for all on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
"When Wrecking Ball is at his strongest, he can use Minefield flings mines onto the ground that deal a considerable amount of damage to enemies unfortunate enough to trigger them. As the sixth tank hero in the Overwatch lineup, Wrecking Ball provides disruption while also being an aggressive bruiser that bullies the enemy’s backline, eliminating vulnerable heroes that are left unguarded. He excels at disrupting enemies’ positioning with his Roll and Piledriver abilities while also posing a serious threat if he’s left alone to train his Quad Cannons on key targets," says Blizzard on how Wrecking Ball can be used in a match.
It's great to see Blizzard's inclusivity extend to non-human characters, giving the game a sense of diversity few have in addition to giving the game a longer shelf life. Coupled with a host of events through the year and a steady reveal of heroes, it's interesting to see what Blizzard adds next to the game. The last hero added was Brigitte, a support class character that followed Moira, Doomfist, and Orisa as new additions to the game.
Update, June 29: Blizzard has finally put information up regarding hero number 28, clarifying its official name is Wrecking Ball piloted by Hammond the hamster. Story has been updated to incorporate the same.
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