One Thai computer art student gave the Overwatch community something we didn’t even know we wanted, and now a lot of us want it very badly.
Yesterday, a student who goes by RM-Parfait posted a concept design (a project for her Master’s) for a Thai support hero on the Overwatch forums and, in response, fans begged the Overwatch team to take note. And they did — game director Jeff Kaplan jumped in to say, “Wow, this is amazing. You are so talented!” Eeee!
Tara’s design was inspired by Siamese fighting fish, known as the Betta fish. Her abilities include “Bubble”, which is a blast of energy from her gun that “will block an enemy in[side] a bubble for 2 seconds”, and “Healing Drone”, which heals allies inside a 1.5m radius. She (and her gun) look absolutely stunning:
RM-Parfait
RM-Parfait
RM-Parfait
RM-Parfait
RM-Parfait
RM-Parfait
Here’s a Halloween skin, too:
RM-Parfait
RM-Parfait
RM-Parfait even came up with some concept art for Tara’s map, Arun Town:
RM-Parfait
RM-Parfait
Over Facebook chat, RM-Parfait told me that she decided to make Tara because “there’s no Thai character in Overwatch yet. Also, I think there’re only few characters that come from Asia compare[d] to [other] region[s] so it might be interesting if I could create one.” She added that making Tara was “quite a challenge for me because I’ve never draw something in sci-fi theme before”.
Like Overwatch‘s Mercy says, “It’s nice to be appreciated.”
Comments
17 responses to “Student’s Overwatch Concept Art Is So Good, Even Blizzard Is Talking About It”
Love this character concept! Overwatch isn’t lacking Asian characters though, there’s already 5 I can think of.
I’d like an Irish character next 😀
They’d just be drunk and swearing
Mei, Hanzo and Genji. I mean you could count Sym and Zen but there’s no southern asians. I feel like they should do an Italian or someone from central asia. Or a canadian.
Omg an Irish person would be fukn annoying
Zen is 100% robot… lol.
I was counting Sym because India counts as Asia, but you’re forgetting D.Va.
I agree though, an Italian plumber would be excellent.
Zen is also 100% Nepalese. I think Bastion is the only Omnic lacking in ethnicity.
I’m sure Bastion has a “Made in North Korea” sticker on it somewhere 😉
And… now Moira is here :p She is ginger, Op and fun to play.
I want a Canadian Hero pls
Moira is irish
Give that girl job Blizzard!
amazing work, if they don’t pick up her character they should pick her up as an artist. so much effort and thought gone into her work, and on an extremely professional level.
When I saw this on Reddit I literally just assumed it was a stealth resume, the concept is pretty cool but honestly nothing that amazing. But that entire document he posted was just a professional level design pitch document.
There’s definitely some talent there, hope it turns into some work for them.
Also dear god if not this character please some more supports in Overwatch… =P
I’m so ready for a new support hero, I’ve avoided Sombra for so long just assuming shes an Offensive character but was pleasantly surprised at how viable a Support she is.
Really need to give Sombra another go now that I’m more familiar with the game…
That said really enjoying the new mercy.
NuMercy is crazy good, people complained about her hiding and rezing their hard earned kills, now people are complaining thats shes active and rezing their hard earned kill. its ridiculous.
play Sombra on attack on Junkertown, she absolutely wrecks on that level, it’s like it was made for her with the amount of health packs to hack and all the flanks.
I was actually thinking she’d make a pretty strong defence character too shutting down all those huge health packs.
And I never liked hiding as Mercy, always felt kind of anathema. Think I got my first 5 man res just before the patch hit x-P
I was trying so hard to get that before the patch, I even resorted to hiding but I just never got there in the end. getting 6 in one match without a death doesn’t seem to impossible though.
It was pure luck for me, right at the end of Hollywood and I was the first death.
My respawn let me angel right on to my entirely Dead team and pop it off.
Just add that the character is actually a gay dude and it’s a shoe in.
awesome job