Overwatch is in a better spot than it was a year ago thanks to its early 2026 sort-of-reboot. And it’s expanding once more as new hero Shion literally rides into Season 3’s action today.

Shion is armed with two pistols like Tracer and is a damage-oriented character, but her distinct looks and focus on stylish moves – as well as her motorcycle-riding ability – sets her apart from the competition. Even so, it turns out, Blizzard’s original take on the character was much wilder.

“We had this little style meter UI in the beginning and it would start at D or E and then move its way up to S, depending on how [many abilities] you could link together,” hero producer Kenny Hudson revealed during an interview with PC Gamer. If you’re thinking about the Devil May Cry series and other stylish character action games, you’re probably close to what Blizzard had in mind for Overwatch’s 52nd hero.

Eventually, however, the team realised its ambitious plans for Shion would perhaps be demanding too much of players. “At one point we had it so she has super speed or she has double the run speed of other heroes in the game… That was kind of wild, and we felt that the bike [was] going to be enough of a challenge,” Hudson explained.

Shion isn’t the only new addition in Overwatch’s Season 3. The all-new Hybrid Map, Neon Junction, also arrives alongside the new Anima Strike Meta Event and a new battle pass that includes “new Ultra Skins with added VFX” and more. As an extra reminder, the reborn hero shooter is now also playable on Switch 2 with a decent native version.