The 24th hero in Overwatch is a certainty, but who it is remains a mystery. Blizzard may have been teasing a new hero in a blog post today.
Is Efi the 24th hero?
Written as an interview taking place in Overwatch’s universe, the post introduces fans to Efi Oladele. An 11 year old with a gifted mind, Efi specialises in robotics and AI.
[SCIENCE] Meet Efi Oladele—winner of the Adawe Foundation's genius grant for her achievements in AI and robotics!
🔬 https://t.co/uez8qRfWI5 pic.twitter.com/LpUbAWS4gs
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) February 21, 2017
At 11 years old, Efi may be too young to be the 24th hero, but the interview suggests she’ll spend her grant to create something that may be related to the next hero. When asked about what she’ll do with the Adawe Foundation’s grant she says,
Oh… I have an idea…It’s a secret for now… but my parents are taking me on a trip to celebrate! It’ll be my first time flying, so I can’t wait.
What’s in a name?
Oladele is a Yoruba word meaning “wealth has come home” which seems appropriate given what we know about Efi so far. Efi is a Spanish and Hebrew name which means ‘fruitful’ and the Yoruba version of the name means ‘beautiful.’ Interestingly, Efi is also a popular name in Greece.
What — if anything — the origins of her name mean remain a mystery for now. Here’s hoping Blizzard sheds some light on it sooner rather than later.
It’s looking less and less likely that Doomfist will be hero 24 and this post certainly casts further doubts. There’s no release date for the 24th hero as yet and Blizzard has a tendency to drag these things out.
Could Efi be the fourth Doomfist?
It is possible that Game Director Jeff Kaplan and Blizzard are trying to misdirect fans regarding Doomfist. Kaplan’s comments suggest that Doomfist definitely won’t be the 24th hero, but the in-game lore has already established three separate heroes who’ve used the Doomfist moniker.
What if Efi uses her grant to build a new Doomfist gauntlet? What if the interview with Efi is set in the past in the Overwatch universe and Efi is the fourth Doomfist? These are questions that will go unanswered until Blizzard gives us more information.
In the lead up to Sombra’s release fans started to get fed up with Blizzard’s teasing. Hopefully the developer has learned from the experience and releases the 24th hero without as much frustration. We’ll just have to wait and see.
