Overwatch’s latest hero is an adorable little hamster named Hammond. Except he’s not actually called that – instead, he’s known in-game as Wrecking Ball. That’s an ode to his victories in the Junkertown arena, but it’s a much less personable moniker. Though it’s been at least half-joking, fan outcry to get Blizzard to change his official name has been persistent.
But according to Blizzard, Overwatch heroes rarely have a single title. ”Ultimately, our heroes have multiple names,” designer Geoff Goodman tells us as part of a roundtable Q&A. “Tracer is Lena. For Wrecking Ball, it really suits who he is and who he’d want to call himself and everything.”
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So there you have it – not only does Blizzard want Hammond to be called Wrecking Ball, the little guy wants that name as well. But don’t worry, you won’t be blacklisted for calling him for the wrong name. “We’re definitely not opposed to people calling him whatever they want. Especially in games people have nicknames for everybody. So it certainly doesn’t offend us or anything.”
“We’re listening to feedback,” Goodman says, but adds “We’re not likely to change anything at this point.”
Get up to speed on Wrecking Ball’s abilities, and keep an eye out for new Overwatch heroes as well. I’m sure you’ll have a lot of things to call whoever hero 29 turns out to be.