Blizzard Confirms the Release Date of New Overwatch Hero Wrecking Ball

Blizzard has confirmed that new hero Wrecking Ball will be released to the live Overwatch servers on July 24.

Wrecking Ball will be the game’s 28 hero, and the seventh added since its release in May of 2016.

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A battle-mech piloted by Hammond the hamster, who is a genetically-enhanced former subject of Horizon Lunar Colony, Wrecking Ball is the second new addition to the tank category.

Unlike previous new tank Orisa, however, Wrecking Ball is expected to fall in the role of “flex tank” as opposed to “main tank”, eschewing defensive abilities and barriers in favor of a disruptive, movement-based skillset.

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Wrecking Ball has been on the Overwatch Public Test Realm since June 28, giving players plenty of time to try him out and allowing Blizzard to ensure he’s balanced, at least within a reasonable degree.

As well as testing him out functionally, Blizzard recently revealed on the PTR the skins that will be available for Wrecking Ball upon his release, as well as his emotes and highlight intros.

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Hammond is a character that players have been aware of for over a year, with his name first appearing alongside the release of the Horizon Lunar Colony map. Hammond was among the most popular candidates as a new hero for every release since then, and is now finally making his way into the game.

At the time, however, most assumed that Hammond, like Winston, was a primate of some sort. The twist – that Hammond is in fact a hamster – came as a surprise to most fans, although some had already suggested the theory.