Blizzard has implemented a slight adjustment to Mizuki’s model in a recent Overwatch patch, giving the new support hero a wider, sharper jawline. This tweak to his model is live in Overwatch as of the Reign of Talon mid-Season 1 update.
Overwatch made history in Reign of Talon Season 1 on February 10 by dropping five new heroes: Domina, Anran, Emre, Jetpack Cat, and Mizuki. Though all the characters have been big hits, Anran received some criticism due to differences between her model in Overwatch and her cinematic appearance. Public outcry led Blizzard to confirm it was working on changes for her model in the near future.
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Overwatch Changes Mizuki’s Model in Mid-Season 1 Update
Anran’s appearance still hasn’t been updated, but another one of the new heroes did get some changes to his model. Mizuki, one of the two support heroes this season, had his face shape adjusted during the Overwatch Reign of Talon mid-Season 1 update. His jawline is noticeably wider and sharper than before, making his face look less narrow. Overwatch player Fukurosho was among the first to notice this change; they showed a side-by-side comparison of the old and new model that was then shared by Overwatch Cavalry on Twitter.
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This adjustment is only noticeable on the skins where Mizuki is unmasked – presently, only the Streetwear skin. The mask he wears in his basic skin does not seem to have been changed at all. This actually means his masked and unmasked jawlines seem more believable, as their general shapes are more similar than before.
Mizuki’s model edit came as quite a surprise for fans. Unlike the outcry against Anran’s model from the Overwatch community, Mizuki’s model did not receive an abundance of criticism, and right now, the adjustment only affects a single premium shop skin. Perhaps Overwatch decided to do it because the Streetwear skin was not selling as well as it had hoped or because it wanted to align it more with how his silhouette appeared in his concept art and Storytime comic, “Curse Breaker.” Either way, any future unmasked Mizuki skins will likely carry this new and improved jawline.
What About Anran’s Model Update in Overwatch?
The most shocking part of the Mizuki model change is that it came before Anran. During Overwatch game director Aaron Keller’s original announcement, he said Anran’s adjustment would ideally arrive during Season 1. However, with the mid-season update now live, many players have started to wonder if the change will meet this rough deadline Keller had set.
It is important to note that the Mizuki model adjustment was likely much less involved. Anran drew criticism for her model’s uncharacteristic soft eyes, small nose, and round face; addressing those issues would require more work than Mizuki’s minor jawline tweak. What’s more, the attention the Anran model controversy attracted means Overwatch is probably trying to make sure it nails the new model.
Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 2 begins February 14, five weeks after the mid-Season 1 update. This means Overwatch has just over a month from press time to push this Anran model update out before the next season. That said, Keller said the devs only “hoped” to get the new model finished by the end of Season 1, which means the model update for this new Overwatch hero could technically arrive in Season 2 or later.
Either way, Mizuki and Anran are proof that Overwatch is able and willing to make small adjustments to its heroes in order to better encapsulate the character archetypes they represent. While future Overwatch character models hopefully don’t attract the level of controversy Anran did, it is encouraging to see that Blizzard has the power to make these fixes without breaking the game.
- Released
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August 10, 2023
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
