New ‘Overwatch’ Hero Is a Hamster in a Mech Ball; No, Seriously, It Is

With a game as crazy in both premise and execution as “Overwatch,” it seemed that Blizzard could not surprise anyone anymore. The video game company just proved everyone wrong on that point by revealing that the next hero for the game is a hamster. Not just any hamster, though, since this one is apparently also a brilliant mech pilot and inventor.

This announcement was done via the game’s official Twitter account with a caption that reads simply “The champion revealed,” and revealed it was. The post came with a 10-second clip, which showcased arguably the most adorable hero that this MOBA FPS has ever seen.

Like several of the heroes in “Overwatch,” the new addition fights with the help of a machine. The hamster is called Hammond, who fans of the IP will know is the missing specimen from the Horizon Lunar Colony. Hammond will be piloting a spherical mech called Wrecking Ball, which is equipped with some rather intimidating guns and will act as the actual hero representative.

Since the reveal, Blizzard has released several more clips, including one about his origins and a developer update, which discussed what players can expect from Wrecking Ball. Predictably, the announcement was met with profound giddiness throughout the internet, with many commenting on the cuteness of Hammond. Cass Marshall of Polygon is positively bursting with glee.

Thanks to the developer update that the game’s director, Jeff Kaplan, hosted, players also now have a good idea of how Wrecking Ball will play. Based on its nature, it was obviously going to be a tank character, which absorbs quite a bit of damage. Its ultimate ability is called Minefield, which basically allows it to deploy mines.

Kaplan and his team call this type of ability a “zoning ability,” which might refer to how it can control a specific area. In any case, it’s clear that Wrecking Ball is going to be a lot of fun for “Overwatch” players to use. Pretty soon, they’ll be able to.