Over the past several months, Blizzard has been teasing a new character called “Sombra” for its enormously popular multiplayer shooter, Overwatch. Now, we’ve been given our best look at the new combatant yet thanks to a leak — which may or may not be part of the game’s ongoing ARG component.
An image supposedly leaked from an internal studio website depicts Sombra as a young woman dressed in purple, armed with what appears to be a submachine gun. Text that accompanies the picture states that she “will be hacking her way into the build later tonight.”
The build that’s being referred to is likely an internal version of the game used to test content before it’s released to the public. Given that Blizzard has been teasing Sombra since before the release of Ana, it would stand to reason that the new hero is ready for this kind of testing.
However, there’s a chance that this “leak” is simply another facet of the game’s ever-expanding lore, according to a report from Polygon. Given that Sombra is rumored to be some kind of hacker, tying her introduction to the game to a staged online leak would be a novel extension of the Overwatch ARG.
The Sombra leak also seems to have delivered some information about content planned for the game’s Halloween celebrations. Last week, festive loot boxes were spotted on the Xbox Store, and it seems that they’re set to contain seasonal skins, emotes, and more.
A leaked comic book suggests that Mercy will get a witch costume, Reaper will be decked out with jack-o’-lanterns, and Junkrat and Roadhog will be dressing up as Frankenstein and his monster. In fact, those last two characters might be at the center of a brand new game mode.
Materials leaked alongside the image of Sombra refer to a new game mode where players will team up to defend a castle against waves of Zomnics — presumably zombie Omnics — as well as “Dr. Junkenstein’s evil allies.”
If these leaks are legitimate, Overwatch fans have plenty to look forward to as Halloween draws near. The Olympics-themed event that took place earlier this year lasted three weeks, so it seems likely that Blizzard will make an official announcement sooner rather than later.
