“Overwatch” reveals the updated look of the new hero Anran. The trigger for this adjustment is clear: the community had previously had a huge backlash against her in-game facial appearance, and even classified it as the same-face syndrome that has been criticized for many years in “Strike”. The facial features of many female heroes are too similar and not recognizable enough.
An Ran originally looked too innocent and cute, which didn’t match the personality of the character.
Game director Aaron Keller made it very clear in the official social video: they hope that each hero will be unique enough and the appearance should match the personality of the character; but An Ran was not implemented when the first version was launched. Therefore, the team decided to push her in a more mature direction that is more consistent with the setting.
Eyes, eyebrows, mouth shape + posture are all under surgery!
Keller also explained the specific direction of modifications: the team focused on An Ran’s eyes, eyebrows and mouth, and deliberately stayed away from the baby-faced expression and temperament, changing it to a more sincere and mature expression; even simple posture adjustments were regarded as an important part of making An Ran “more like An Ran”. Officials also mentioned that the new version makes her look more similar to her brother Wuyang.
Voice actors also join the escort
Fareeha, the actor who voices An Ran, retweeted the official content and expressed her gratitude. She believes that the new look is closer to the character she understands, which is stronger, more mature, and more leadership-like. Overall, this revision is not just a slight adjustment, but a clear revision of the art direction.
Blizzard: There are 5 more heroes this year, please continue to give us your opinions
Keller also said that 5 more heroes will appear one after another this year. This time, incorporating hero personality into the visual process will also help the team calibrate the direction in the design of the next batch of heroes; he even directly asked players to continue sharing their ideas. In other words, An Ran’s face-changing incident was officially regarded as a demonstration case that player feedback can really affect the finished product.
The rhythm of revision is tied to the advancement of the season
The revamped second season of “Overwatch” will begin on April 14th; a new hero will be fully revealed on April 8th. Recently, “Strike” has also been more active in adjusting its direction and narrative planning. The official has positioned this year as a “new story-driven era” and promised to add more new heroes in the future.