Explore Overwatch 2's Global Hero Gaps: Which Countries Are Still Missing?

An Overwatch 2 player has shed light on the numerous countries that have yet to produce a playable hero character. Their world map emphasizes the potential gaps in Overwatch 2 regarding cultural and geographic representation.

Since the first Overwatch game's release in 2016, both players and critics have praised it for featuring a diverse array of characters. Overwatch's heroes and villains come from a variety of countries, including nations not commonly represented in games developed by North American and European studios, like Blizzard. The characters also span a wide range of identities, with several belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. Blizzard recently revealed its plans for Overwatch 2 at Pride 2024.

However, despite this diversity, there is still room for improvement in geographic representation, as highlighted by a map shared by Reddit user Wonderful_Weather_83. The map shows the countries that have produced a playable Overwatch 2 hero as of 2024, revealing significant gaps in the game's global representation.

Overwatch 2 Map Shows How Many Countries Have A Playable Hero

Wonderful_Weather_83's map covers the 40 released heroes in Overwatch 2, including the new Season 10 damage hero Venture from Nova Scotia, Canada. Despite the game's international cast, many countries still have no playable characters. For example, the United States is home to four characters, while Australia and Japan host three each. Canada and Egypt both have two characters, meaning more than a third of the playable roster comes from just five countries.

Additionally, some characters, like Orisa, Winston, and Wrecking Ball, originate from fictional locations. Orisa is from the fictional African city-state of Numbani, while Wrecking Ball and Winston come from the Lunar Colony. Season 12 will introduce Space Ranger from a Martian colony.

To broaden representation, the map also highlights countries and cultural groups related to a character's origin, regardless of their stated nationality. For example, while there are no playable heroes from New Zealand (Aotearoa), the map highlights it due to in-fiction hints that the Australian character Roadhog is of Maori descent. It's interesting to see where Overwatch 2's international cast comes from and to speculate which country might next host a new playable hero.