After weeks of being available in the Public Test Region (PTR), Blizzard Entertainment has officially confirmed Orisa's release date. According to an "Overwatch" hero preview trailer, the new tank hero will be released next week on March 21, 2017. The new trailer showcases the developers as they went through the design process and assign her role in the team-based shooter's meta. It also shows the team and their excitement about the 24th hero's gameplay.
Reports confirm that Jeff Kaplan was featured in the video and was all smiles as he described the new hero and her playstyle. The video also reportedly revealed that the development team thinks that they have created something special, reports Game Rant. The developers have assigned her role as an "Anchor Tank", which is described as a character that provides protection for their teammates as long as they are within range.
Blizzard Entertainment apparently kept her longer within the PTR in order to collect several feedbacks from players about her balance. Orisa was actually tested longer than the previous "Overwatch" heroes who were introduced post-launch. It has been noted that she only received two minor tweaks based on the information they have gathered. She apparently got a reduction in both her magazine size and ultimate charge rate, which was lowered by 25 percent and 15 percent respectively.
The recent changes have reportedly done their job as players have claimed that she is more balanced than her original form. Her conception came about from the development team's need to create a hero that best represents the city of Numbani. The fictional city in Africa was designed to be a high-tech place where omnics and humans co-existed peacefully. She was created by a young inventor named Efi Oladele who wanted to do something to help her city.
Jeff Kaplan previously revealed that he wanted his Blizzard Entertainment development team to come up with female robot character that did not follow the usual feminine design aspect, says Gamenguide. Orisa might be a large four-legged robot hero, but she is supposedly the youngest hero in the game.