With BlizzCon 2019 set to kick off later this week, information has been leaked on the next expansion for World of Warcraft along with a new image for what appears to be the iteration of Overwatch.
An image of a logo and art for what appears to be an unannounced World of Warcraft expansion called Shadowlands was spotted today by Twitter user WeakAuras.
The first picture was artwork for Overwatch 2, featuring a series of characters charging into battle, which include Echo, an omnic character revealed at last year’s BlizzCon. The new artwork, subtly titled “ow2-fine-art-gallery.png” in the URL, shows a few of Overwatch‘s most popular heroes going into battle. Brigitte, Tracer, Reinhardt, Mei, Genji, Winston and Mercy are among those featured, as well as Echo – who’s rumoured to be the next hero coming to the game.
No change is drastic; each hero is still easily recognizable as themselves. But it’s clear that Tracer’s wearing new pants; usually her pants fade from yellow to orange, and these are all primarily orange. As for Mei, her jacket design has a bit less fur trim, and her hair’s different, too. As for Genji, he looks like he’s wearing clothes over his cybernetic suit: a hoodie and pants. Genji’s nakey no longer!
Despite the recent artwork featuring Echo, there is still no indication of when she will be available in the game. E-sports insider Rod Breslau says it’s “likely untrue” that Echo will be announced at this year’s BlizzCon.
The same thread also provided details surrounding a new expansion for World of Warcraft. The first image showcased was a presentation of Bolvar, the new Lich King. World of Warcraft‘s current expansion has left several hints indicating that the next expansion will take place in the Shadowlands.
Of course, all of this could be liberties taken by the artist — it doesn’t necessarily reflect changes to character design for Overwatch 2. But it could, and we’ll likely know more after the weekend.
BlizzCon 2019 will run from Nov. 1 to 2 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
