Overwatch 2: Introducing Mauga and the Importance of Cultural Representation
Blizzard Entertainment is set to introduce a new character to Overwatch 2, Mauga, the 39th hero. Not only is Mauga a character from a lesser-known ethnic group, but he is also one of the few heroes from Oceania in AAA games.
We spoke to Kenny Hudson, the Overwatch game producer, about the steps taken by the development team in creating this new tank hero.
Mauga was added to the shooter in November 2023, shortly after BlizzCon, but the work on him had been ongoing since 2018, as explained by Hudson.
“We started working on him right after we saw some inspiring concepts [and their impact on the narrative], and we knew that people would love him. We wondered how to create a skill set that would align with our community’s expectations, and that’s where we began,” says Hudson.
Hudson explains that the initial plans for Mauga were different, but the character evolved during the creation process.
“When we were designing the abilities initially, we noticed that many of them focused mainly on healing, which led to the creation of the character Sigma [added to Overwatch in 2019]. These abilities didn’t fit Mauga’s personality, according to what we had read,” he explains.
Mauga comes from a culture that rarely appears in video games, so it was important for his representation to be authentic.
To ensure authenticity, the development team collaborated with cultural consultants, one of whom was artist Si’i Liufau, specializing in modern Polynesian tattoos and Tatau. The word “tattoo” comes from the Samoan word “tatau” and holds significant cultural meaning.
“We wanted authenticity, so we hired Si’i Liufau, a certified Samoan tattoo master, and worked with him,” explains Hudson.
Si’i Liufau brought his knowledge and experience to the creative process, but creating an authentic representation of tattooing posed a challenge.
“Hudson explains, “He drew something, we drew something, and we had to compromise because these tattoos contain many intricate details that not all game engines can handle. We had to find a place that was authentic to Samoans and realistic for our game.”
Regarding the issue of representation, Hudson explains that when creating a Samoan character, the development team took care to avoid harmful stereotypes regarding people of color.
The creation of a Samoan character was put on hold for a while as the team focused on the character Sigma. However, Hudson notes that these brainstorming sessions were generally beneficial as they led to the creation of a new character during the development of another.
Mauga remained on the backburner, and the pandemic changed the work structure for several years. His introduction to the game was delayed.
Hudson says, “The pandemic hit, and we all had to learn how to create heroes from home. How to communicate? How to prototype and go through pre-production during a global pandemic? This further delayed Mauga.”
“We were advanced with the skill set, but we felt like we needed some more time. How do we get that? After all, we already had the character Ramattra ready in the pipeline,” he continues.
“We had a team discussion and decided to swap the release dates of Mauga and Ramattra. Ramattra was supposed to be released in season eight, but we moved her to season two because she was ready, and shifting Mauga to season eight gave us the time we needed to complete the game and achieve full readiness,” he adds.
The swap in release dates allowed the Overwatch team more time to develop Mauga’s character.
Hudson says, “Luckily for us, hero development schedules are quite long… It’s not to say it’s not a concern, but it’s always in our minds. We have enough time for the character to ‘sink in’ and fit into the rest of the game’s cast.”
“By the time we bring a character to life, we’ve gathered enough feedback from the team to answer questions like, does this hero make sense? Does it fit into our world? And if not, how can we improve it?”
Regarding feedback, players had the opportunity to try out Mauga during BlizzCon 2023. Hudson explains that this playtesting period provided valuable insights into the character’s development and refinement.
The game producer explains, “One of our goals was to ensure Mauga’s viability. There’s always a period when we introduce a new character to gameplay where players aren’t yet familiar with the hero.
“They don’t know all the gameplay details. In this case, people weren’t accustomed to taking cover behind barriers. But it also allowed us to see what the first days after Mauga’s release could look like if we hadn’t made certain balance changes,” admits Hudson.
Hudson admits that he and the development team did not expect specific reactions to the character Mauga during that weekend. One of them was the work on the character’s dialogues.
“One cool thing I noticed during the free trial period was the huge discussion on Reddit about the significance of all of Mauga’s dialogues. I didn’t expect that level of interest,” he explains.
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The source of the article is from the blog lisboatv.pt