Blizzard Entertainment's team-based multiplayer shooter Overwatch will presumably see its sequel that was announced at Blizzcon 2019 release sometime in the future. In the meantime, fans of the game can start playing as Echo, the final hero being put in the popular title, on April 14.
Echo is a Damage archetype character, joining the likes of Soldier: 76, Reaper, Doomfist, Torbjorn, and many more. Echo is the 32nd playable hero in the game's roster, with a design similar to that of a flying AI, characterized by digitally-projected female facial features over a slick white form, who has been teased in various cinematics released for the game since 2018. However, she was only officially confirmed and given an origin story as of mid-March this year.
Players first got their hands on Echo soon after she was announced through the game's PTR, or Public Test Realm. Overwatch concept artwork was released toward the end of March that gave fans an idea of what kind of scrapped possibilities led to the character they are getting now, including various Iron Man-esque projectiles lasers, the ability to digitally transform into other characters, and more.
As Overwatch starts to wind down the perpetual content engine which has been active since its first release in 2015, the developers have been focusing more on tweaking the competitive scene by doing things like changing which heroes are in rotation. However, new characters being implemented into the already robust multiplayer experience has always been a big draw.
A large focus has also been put on the eSports-focused Overwatch League that first began in 2016 and has been going relatively strong ever since. The players involved in the world-spanning competition have had their fair share of controversies, from sexual misconduct scandals to fines for typing obscenities in official match chats. However, it gained a decent foothold in competitive circles alongside other recent esports ventures like Activision's Call of Duty League.
As a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, multiple Overwatch League events have been canceled in March and April, and there's a good chance even more delays and cancellations will come before the disease has run its course. Echo officially being released next week should, at the very least, provide fans of the multiplayer shooter something to do while they're stuck at home.
Overwatch is currently available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.