Fareeha Andersen, the voice actor for Overwatch's new hero Anran, has voiced support for fans urging Blizzard to revert the character's in-game design to its original sharper features. This comes amid rising player numbers on Steam ahead of the Reign of Talon expansion launch on February 10. The expansion introduces five new heroes, including Anran, as Overwatch drops the '2' from its name in a major relaunch.
Overwatch is experiencing renewed interest as it prepares for its first major expansion, Reign of Talon, set to release on February 10, 2026. Concurrent player numbers on Steam reached approximately 70,000 on February 8, the highest since the game's launch in August 2023 and just 5,000 below its debut peak. While Steam figures place Overwatch 39th in the most-played list—behind competitors like Marvel Rivals at 21st—the game's primary platform, Battle.net, likely boosts the total significantly.
This surge aligns with Overwatch's relaunch, which includes dropping the '2' from its title and introducing five new heroes at once, with another five planned throughout the year. Annual expansion-like releases are now part of the roadmap. The series, which transitioned to free-to-play in 2023 after overriding the original Overwatch, has seen improvements like returning to 6v6 matches and adding modes such as Stadium for hero customization.
Amid the excitement, controversy surrounds Anran, a fire-wielding hero whose in-game model differs starkly from her appearance in the animated trailer for her brother Wuyang, a support hero added last year. Fans highlight the original design's sharper features and longer nose versus the in-game version's smaller nose and rounded face, which they say resembles heroes like Kiriko and Juno, exemplifying 'same face syndrome' among female characters.
Fareeha Andersen, Anran's voice actor, addressed the issue in a video, stating, “I got to mourn Anran between the design I had hoped for her and the design we ended up with.” She praised the precedent set in Anran's comic and the Elemental Kin cinematic for challenging beauty standards, adding, “Overwatch is a trailblazer at challenging that... trying to break those molds.” Andersen has shared fan concerns with Blizzard and urged continued feedback delivered with “boldness and kindness.”
Anran is currently in a testing phase before her full launch alongside the other heroes. Blizzard has been contacted for comment, and while immediate changes seem unlikely, a future patch could address the design.
