Blizzard Replaces Tracer's “Over the Shoulder” Pose In New Overwatch Update

Published: April 6, 2016 9:30 AM /

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Tracer new pose

This week, Blizzard has released a brand new alternative pose for Overwatch's time-jumping female adventurer, Tracer. After a recent update—which includes a new game mode, technical changes and a couple of bug fixes—the controversial "over the shoulder" victory pose has now been replaced with the following alternative:

New Tracer Pin up Pose
Image sourced from Ian Miles Cheong twitter feed.

Following back to the initial complaint, which led to the subsequent removal of the pose, as you can see in the image (below), this new pose definitely seems to highlight some of Tracer's more fun and silly character attributes.

As previously stated by the game's director Jeff Kaplan, Kaplan brought up that the team had already been planning on an "alternative pose" that spoke more about the character than what was previously presented.

".....We weren’t entirely happy with the original pose, it was always one that we wrestled with creatively. That the pose had been called into question from an appropriateness standpoint by players in our community did help influence our decision—getting that kind of feedback is part of the reason we’re holding a closed beta test—but it wasn’t the only factor. We made the decision to go with a different pose in part because we shared some of the same concerns, but also because we wanted to create something better."

Jeff Kaplan, Game Director

old (left) new (right)
old (left) new (right)

Twitter users, such as Minecraft creator Markus Persson, were quick to praise Blizzard on the newest Tracer update. Among this, others have also pointed similarities between Tracer and a pin-up illustration as a possible reference.

As well as the Tracer patch, a new game mode entitled Competitive Play was also introduced to Overwatch. In Competitive Play, players can "level up" against a series of tiers and divisions. For now, only level 25 players will be able to queue for Competitive Play. As well as the new game mode, new skins, character balance changes, and leaver penalties have also been detailed within the following blog post.

In addition to the update, Blizzard has also released another animated short, this time starring Tracer and Widowmaker. Two more animated shorts are expected to be released at a later date, but in the meantime, be sure to check out their previous short Recall, which shows off Winston and Reaper battling it out. 

 


Quick Take

Well this was completely unexpected. No doubt this new pose is certainly going to spark some further debate from players concerned about Tracer now being sexualised. Regardless of that matter, I personally think that this newer pose is a definite step-up from what was offered, and highlights a Tracer's supposed playful manner.  

What are your thoughts on Tracers new pose? Do you feel this new pose is a significant improvement? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


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Learn more about Overwatch
Game Page Overwatch
Platforms
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date
May 24, 2016 (Calendar)
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