Overwatch 2’s new hero Sojourn was a long time coming

Ahead of the closed alpha of the game, the team would like you to meet Sojourn. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, the creators of Sojourn talked about what it took to bring the game's 33rd character and first Black woman hero to life.

She has been in our hearts and in our game for a long time.

Damage characters are divided into two categories: hitscan and projectile, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and skill levels. She has a projectile weapon that builds up a lot of damage.

Her weapon shoots a projectile that needs to be carefully aimed. Her weapon's secondary fire, a railgun that fires a blast that can do massive damage, is powered up by successful hits. Sojourn's disruptor shot ability slows enemies and gives her secondary fire. Her power slide allows her to dodge under protective shields and get to the enemy. She can fire her railgun multiple times at max damage, thanks to her ultimate ability, Overclock. Overclock is if Genji used a gun instead of a sword.

Her designers wanted Sojourn to be accessible to casual players while also having a high skill ceiling for advanced players and professionals.

If we don't deal enough damage, switch to Sojourn and she starts. She will deal with them if they are too protected. There is a bit of flexibility in her.

The fifth season of the Overwatch League will begin on May 5th, in addition to the closed alpha of the game that begins on April 26th. It can take a long time for a new hero to see League play if players and coaches decide not to use a character at all. If they see playtime, there are a few characters that are so underutilized that it becomes an event. It looks like Sojourn will make an opening-day appearance.

Brad Ross, the competitive operations lead, said that it was exciting to watch pro players experiment with Sojourn during the alpha.

Black female fans have been waiting for Sojourn for too long. In a game that's pretty explicitly about people from all walks of life teaming up to fight evil, a Black woman was nowhere to be found, rarer than four robots, two sentient animals, and two different cowboy characters.

Rogers gave an explanation as to why it took so long.

We made a detailed history and lore for the world of the game when we started making this game. Rogers said that it helps create character designs.

A lot of times heroes were created to answer a question or fulfill a need when they were added to the game. The most famous example of this was Brigitte. The style of play that teams adopted in the game was a fast, hit-and-run style of attack. The playstyle's power was counterbalanced by the stun abilities of Brigitte.

The developers of the game wanted to make sure that the significance of her character was portrayed in the game. She is meant to be a central, important figure and not a check against a particular style of play.

The first Black female character of the game, Sojourn, was the reason for the creation of the timeline.

It was not possible to add Sojourn sooner without diminishing her importance to the story.

Rogers said that she had a deep lore connection to the game world.

It was difficult to find out who Chase is because of a concern forSPOILERS and surprises. Her designers shared that they took inspiration from Serena Williams's power and speed when creating her look.

Rogers said they wanted to make a Black woman that felt authentic.

She has the best hair texture in the games that feature Black hair. When we look at her clothes, it's not as authentic. A black Canadian is named Sojourn. The new Toronto map that will be introduced in the second game features heavy snow and ice. The woman is wearing shorts. Black people don't wear shorts in the snow.

Rogers laughed that she has bionic legs.

The developers are prepared for the inevitable thirst tweets that will follow the arrival of Sojourn.