Overwatch League players won’t be able to use Symmetra in the league’s finals, according to game director Aaron Keller.
In her current state, a rule like this wouldn’t have to be implemented—no one’s used the Overwatch support hero in the Overwatch League thus far. But Symmetra is getting a major overhaul that’ll seriously change the way she’s played.
Related: The Overwatch League grand finals will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Keller spoke to GameSpot about the potential of removing heroes from Overwatch when he dropped the comment about Symmetra’s use in the Overwatch League. “I think the only example, and it’s a very specific example of taking a hero out of the roster, is Symmetra not being in the finals of the Overwatch League,” Keller said. “And that’s for completely different reasons.”
An Overwatch League spokesperson confirmed to Dot Esports that Symmetra won’t be playable in the playoffs or finals. “The Symmetra rework includes a major set of changes to her weapon and all of her abilities which significantly impacts how she plays,” the spokesperson said. “We view a rework of a hero the same as we do the launch of a new hero: namely, that it needs sufficient time in competitive play prior to becoming available for Overwatch League play.”
Blizzard hasn’t announced when the rework is coming, but these comments suggest it’s launching before the playoffs, so relatively soon. It’s possible that the Overwatch League finals will be played on a new patch that includes the Symmetra rework, but she’ll be disabled in play. The Overwatch League finals are scheduled for July 27 and 28 in Brooklyn, New York, leaving the Overwatch League two months to get the Symmetra rework up on the live server.
Symmetra’s redesign is supposed to be dramatic. She’ll be moved from support to defense, with a bunch of her abilities changed, including her teleporter and shield. There’s no real timeline for her launch, but the redesign is expected “reasonably soon.”
Update June 1 1:23pm CT: An Overwatch League spokesperson confirmed that Symmetra won’t be playable in the playoffs or finals. The story has been adjusted to reflect these comments.
