New Overwatch villain Doomfist can punch the heck out of others in the game’s universe—but he used to be able to throw them, too.
At a hero development panel at San Diego Comic Con on July 21, Blizzard explained that the anticipated hero once had a kit that made him more wrestler than boxer. Early concepts of Doomfist allowed the Talon bad guy to actually pick up other Overwatch heroes and use them as meat shields that absorb damage. Oh, and he could also throw enemies off the edge of maps.
Related: Doomfist enters Overwatch on July 27 for all platforms
We know booping other Overwatch heroes feels good, but imagine for a second what it’s like to throw another player into the abyss. Unfortunately, Overwatch principal designer Geoff Goodman said, it was too much of an iteration of the original Doomfist concept.
“But as fun as this is, it’s getting away from the original idea of Doomfist,” Goodman said, as reported by GameSpot. “He’s not a wrestler. He’s not a luchador.”
Another one of his early abilities allowed Doomfist to pick up pieces of the ground and to throw them, projectile-style, at other heroes. It would allow him to knock certain heroes—like Pharah—directly out of the air. Blizzard also shared that Meteor Strike, Doomfist’s ultimate, was once part of Orisa’s kit. It ultimately fit Doomfist better, though.
Doomfist was originally considered a tank hero, which is what most Overwatch players expected from the hero. “It ended up feeling weird,” Goodman said. “His fist an’t be crazy lethal. And we can’t have a Roadhog-like situation coming back.”
Related: Doomfist’s Rocket Punch gets a buff on Overwatch PTR—if you can pull off the move
Goodman, of course, is references the troubles Blizzard has had with balancing Overwatch’s one man apocalypse, Roadhog. His hook and gun combo is incredibly lethal—not to mention, his tankiness keeps him alive forever. It’s been a struggle for Blizzard for a while now.
Doomfist is available on Overwatch’s public test region and will become playable on the live server for all platforms on July 27.
H/T GameSpot
