Official Overwatch concept art shows unused MEKA heroes
Former Overwatch Lead Concept Artist Ben Zhang recently shared official concept art for D.Va’s Shooting Star animated short, featuring a collection of unused MEKA heroes.
D.Va, the rocket-shooting tank character, was supposed to have four companions on the MEKA squad. Fans and players were aware of these other MEKA pilots, as their mechs could be seen in one part of Busan but as scenery.
For the first time, the official concept arts were publicized by Zhang, who left Blizzard in 2019, on January 8, showing the details of the characters that were scraped from any of the footage in the cinematic. Each pilot can be seen equipped with distinct features and characteristics.
Shooting Star was first released in 2018, during a presentation in South Korea after the premiere was hinted earlier during the week. It tells the story of D.Va as a South Korean national hero. Jeff Kaplan and Ben Dai were in charge of debuting the short.
After the presentation, the clip was also posted on Twitter, complete with the caption “Behind closed doors and away from the cameras, beloved former pro gamer and current MEKA squad pilot D.Va prepares her mech for the unexpected. Watch SHOOTING STAR now!”
Upon the initial release of Shooting Star, fans were hoping one or two pilots could make their way to the upcoming roster. To date, there is no such official announcement or plans.
These concept art stills simply show the characters that were intended for D.Va’s cinematic backstory, not the gameplay.
Four scrapped pilot concepts
The first MEKA pilot is D.Mon AKA Yuna and her chunky red mech, Beast. Her mech appears to have similar abilities to Reinhardt, but wielding a beam sword and shield instead of a hammer. After the release of Shooting Star, many assumed that D.Mon was going to be the one that is set to debut as an upcoming hero.
The next one is Jae-Eun, the pilot of La Princesse. The setup of the mech looks like a DPS version of D.Va’s. It is equipped with what seems to be dual-focused beams cannons. The design also hints that the character’s mech might be speedy.
The third one on the line is Mastermind and its pilot Seung-Hwa. The floating mech looks like a support type, and multiple drones on its wings seem detachable and might be able to perform individual tasks. Its grapple arms could give mobility to allies or enemies. It is also equipped with one large cannon in its center.
The last one on the list is Singijeon, piloted by Kyung-Soo. The design of Singijeon reminds fans of a Goliath from StarCraft that is being transported to the world of Overwatch. Size-wise, it also appears similar to D.Va’s mech. If it ever made its way into the game’s roster, it seems to be another one in the DPS category, with its missile batteries and arm cannons.
The chance of these pilots making it into the sequel game grows smaller each day, as Activision Blizzard focuses on Overwatch 2. However, as the game has been delayed indefinitely, perhaps more heroes will be added.
In the meantime, Overwatch is still available to play for PC, PS4, Switch, and XBOX One.
