Overwatch to redesign Anran as Blizzard responds to the VA's criticism — aligning her in-game appearance with expectations

Overwatch 2 is currently going through a bit of a renaissance after dropping the "2" and returning to simply Overwatch. It's still a team-based shooter built around distinct heroes with defined roles, with success coming from balancing those roles, coordinating as a team, and completing objectives to secure the win.

After surpassing Call of Duty and Battlefield 6 on Steam in player count, Overwatch seems to be gaining momentum. It appears to be recommitting to what players originally loved about the franchise.

Amid that resurgence, the voice actor for newly announced hero Anran, Fareeha Anderson, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to publicly campaign for changes to the character's design.

It follows fan criticism that Anran's in-game appearance looks almost identical to other female heroes, rather than standing out as her own distinct character.

Blizzard commits to Anran redesign after voice actor criticism

Amid Overwatch 2’s shift back to Overwatch, the game is also introducing five new characters overall, including a cat with a jet pack, though that isn't necessarily important to this story — I just wanted to mention it because it’s cool as hell.

Instead, the focus is on Anran, a new hero described by the game’s director as a tough older sister. The character has faced criticism, including from her own voice actor, who took to X to publicly campaign for changes to her appearance.

Fareeha (Anran’s voice actor) stated:

As is often the case on X, some fans were supportive, while others were less so. As someone who personally has no stake in Overwatch, I do not think it ultimately matters whether the design changes.

Blizzard, however, has agreed to revisit the character’s appearance and committed to adjustments that better align with its original vision. Game director Aaron Keller stated, "I wanted to take a moment to address one thing in particular. The team is currently discussing what it would take to make Anran look and feel like the fierce older sister that we all envision her to be."

He also went on to state it was something they wanted to share last week, but first wanted to make sure of the changes they wanted to make before making a public announcement.

It's also worth mentioning that Xbox Game Pass subscribers do get six hero skins, 30 Mythic Prisms, access to select shop cosmetics, and a 10 percent XP boost, so if you're a fan of Overwatch, it could be worth subscribing, at least to claim the benefits.

What do you think about Blizzard revisiting Anran’s design? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

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