The fourth season of Overwatch 2 is about to begin, which will introduce a new support hero named Lifeweaver. The new Battle Pass will also feature new cosmetic content and other updates. Recently, LEVEL UP had the opportunity to interview Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie, Chonlawat Thammawan, and Kenny Hudson from Blizzard Entertainment, where they discussed the backstory, personality, and other details of the new character.
Lifeweaver, whose real name is Niran PruksaManee, was born into an extremely wealthy family in Chiang Mai, Thailand. His parents sent him to the Vishkar Academy of Architecture in an attempt to impose order and uniformity, but his fascination with nature led him to travel the world. During his journey, Lifeweaver discovered that people needed help, and with the goal and inspiration of providing aid, he combined science and nature to create a new technology that could heal the world's wounds. However, Vishkar Corporation claimed ownership of the invention, causing Niran to flee and become a fugitive.
"For me, it was about showing someone who had everything and made the decision to improve the world instead of being comfortable, to face people who were poisoning the world and find ways to stop them (…) I think that's what excites me about [Lifeweaver], and you'll see that in the conversations," commented Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie, lead narrative designer.
Lifeweaver is a brilliant, confident, and positive character, and that is reflected in his interactions with the cast. While it is not in his nature to criticize other people, he will have some tense conversations with heroes like Moira. But overall, he is a warm person who is kind to others.
The creatives confirmed that Niran PruksaManee met Satya Vaswani, better known as Symmetra, at the Vishkar Academy of Architecture. They struck up a friendship, and interesting interactions are expected between them in Overwatch 2.
"Lifeweaver didn't get along very well with people at the Vishkar Academy. Symmetra was basically the only person in school who understood him. They were roommates and very good friends. So you'll see those conversations in the game, and they are amazing together; the actors did an awesome job with the dialogue lines," Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie told us.
IT'S OFFICIAL: LIFEWEAVER IS OVERWATCH 2'S FIRST PANSEXUAL HERO
The characters in Overwatch 2 are very diverse and unique, and Blizzard Entertainment is once again prioritizing representation and inclusion. Lifeweaver is not only the first Thai hero in the hero shooter, but also the first openly pansexual character in the roster.
The studio addressed the sexuality of characters like Tracer and Soldier 76 for the first time in comics and other media, and it's rarely talked about in the game. This time, the creatives changed their approach and decided that the new hero's pansexuality should be open and reflected within the game through conversations, etc.
"Representation has always been really important to this team, and we've been looking for ways to express that more. So with Lifeweaver, we wanted a pansexual character, and the approach we took was one that everyone was happy with: to have an openly pansexual character. You'll see that reflected in dialogue lines, conversations, and other material. We're also looking to expand on that in the future," said Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie.
The creatives mentioned in the interview that they decided to make Niran PruksaManee a pansexual character from the early stages of the design and development process, and worked with many people to make it happen and ensure that "everyone's voices are heard."
"Lifeweaver is the first pansexual character. I want to focus on the 'openly' part (...) I'm very happy to say that [pansexuality] is something we made a part of the character's core. You'll see that expression in conversations with other heroes; I don't want to give any spoilers, but there will be some flirting, so I'd like everyone to be on the lookout for that. We're very excited to see how that's received," said Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie.
Players will be able to unlock Lifeweaver through the free and premium Battle Pass. It will be available when Season 4 arrives in Overwatch 2 on April 11th.
But tell us, what do you think of this new hero's abilities? Let us hear from you in the comments.
Overwatch 2 is now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
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