A look at Sombra’s early concepts and her legendary skins

Blizzard (finally) officially announced Overwatch’s newest hero, Sombra, at BlizzCon 2016 today, revealing her abilities and her origin story as an orphaned victim of the Omnic Crisis turned cybernetically-enhanced hacker. During a panel at BlizzCon, Overwatch’s creative leads walked BlizzCon attendees through Sombra’s design, revealing her earliest concepts and the alternate skins players will be able to unlock.

While Sombra is the game’s newest hero, she’s been in development in various forms for a long time, Blizzard said. In her earliest iteration, she was a speedy, ninja-like character who threw projectiles. Some of her abilities were eventually woven into other Overwatch hero, Genji, who himself was originally a slower, one-hit kill stealth character, and Hanzo.

Those early versions of Sombra were eventually set aside, and Blizzard later revisited her as a hacker who could disrupt enemy abilities, momentarily turn invisible, see low-health enemies through walls and teleport using a throwable device. An early design for Sombra also had her wearing a hood, one that looked a little too close to Overwatch’s first post-release character, Ana. Sombra’s concept art once served as an early teaser; her hooded silhouette appeared in newspapers scattered throughout Overwatch’s Dorado level.

For a look at Sombra’s early designs, check out the concept art Blizzard showcased at BlizzCon today. The developer also revealed two legendary skins for Sombra, one of which references her association with the Los Muertos organization.

Grid View

• One of Overwatch’s earliest concepts, when Sombra was a double-jumping, knife-throwing ninja. Some of her skills, including a projectile that would reveal the enemy’s location, were moved over to Shimada brothers Genji and Hanzo.

• Sombra, after Blizzard revised her as a hacker. Her hood and silhouette is reminiscent of another Overwatch character, Ana. This ideation shows her stealth and hacking tendril abilities.

• Sombra’s final concept art, with her revised hacking tendrils and a more distinctive silhouette.

• Movement studies for Sombra, showing off her posture and animation.

• Concepts for Sombra’s abilities and weapon. Her ammo counter displays her available ammunition in binary.

• A closer look at the final concept for Sombra released at BlizzCon 2016.

• An alternate “cyberspace” skin for Sombra

• Sombra’s Los Muertos legendary skin, harkening back to her early days as a member of the Mexican gang