Blizzard shows off a pair of 'Overwatch 2' hero redesigns

When Overwatch 2 eventually arrives, along with ditching one player per team, it will feature redesigns for all 32 heroes on the current Overwatch roster. Since it announced the sequel back in late 2019, Blizzard has been drip feeding new looks for the characters. Game director Aaron Keller stopped by the Summer Game Fest kickoff show to show off two of them.

Keller explained the updated character models feature a lot of new tools, such as hair shader tech that helped the art team to create Baptiste's revamped hairstyle. He'll have a glowing cape and gloves that "give a medic or surgeon vibe to him," Keller said.

Keller also revealed an updated design for Sombra, which was apparently a challenging one for Blizzard's art team. It's an asymmetrical design with many layers of hair, clothing and tech. Since she's a hacker, there are nodes and circuitry built into the character model. Whether those split toe boots are fashionable in the late 21st century remains to be seen.

The new looks for Baptiste and Sombra follow redesigns that have emerged for the likes of Reinhardt, Widowmaker, Mei, Mercy and Torbjörn. There's still no word on an Overwatch 2 release date, but it's unlikely to be this year.