The Overwatch 2 beta ended with a cryptic message from Blizzard. The community speculates about a fox hero that could appear in Overwatch 2 in the future. Several clues support this.
On July 18, 2022, the beta for Overwatch 2 ended. Players received several hints from Blizzard about new content.
Just before the beta went offline, players discovered a mysterious message in the chat. Fans suspect: Blizzard is planning a fox support hero.
Blizzard provided two additional hints that clearly pointed to a fox support:
- In the Overwatch 2 trailer
- In Blizzard’s statement
Here you can see the English Overwatch 2 trailer, which contains a fox hint:
V2hhdCBkb2VzIHRoZSBmb3ggc2F5Pw==
What did the cryptic message say? The message was “V2hhdCBkb2VzIHRoZSBmb3ggc2F5Pw==“. (via Twitter). At first glance, it seems to be a random string of characters. However, players cracked the code and recognized that it was base64 text.
What does the message say? Base64 is a language from computer programming. When you enter the text into a translator, the message reads: “What does the fox say?” (translated: What does the fox say?) (via base64decode.org)
Trailer and News from Blizzard – Find the Fox
What did the hint from the trailer look like? In the trailer, which you can see above, you can find the fox hint between 01:16 and 1:20. In those few seconds, a blue-glowing fox can be seen running through the landscape.
What did Blizzard say on the official website? On July 19, 2022, Blizzard released a statement on its Overwatch website. The end of the Overwatch 2 beta was announced. In one paragraph, Blizzard mentions the fox:
“We will continue to balance the heroes – based on our insights from the beta and perhaps due to additional considerations (like a certain unannounced fox hero that will join the support roster)” (Source: playoverwatch.com).
This seems to assure the community of a fox support hero. It remains to be seen when Blizzard will provide concrete information about the new hero. We should know more by October 4, when Overwatch 2 launches.
What is behind the fox? In the community, the fox is known as “Kanezaka Fox Girl” (in English: Kanezaka Fox Girl).
Kanezaka is the name of a map in Overwatch, which is located in Japan. In this environment, the fox seems to be in the trailer. It runs through ghostly “Torii” architectures, which also have Japanese origins.
In January 2021, Blizzard released a backstory that could be related to the fox: The sword master Asa Yamagami speaks of a fox shrine and of his intention to ask a fox spirit for strength and wisdom in battle. He also hopes for luck from a nine-tailed kitsune (via playoverwatch.com).
A kitsune comes from Japanese mythology and represents a fox with supernatural powers. It also has the ability to transform into a human.
Perhaps the Kanezaka fox girl will play a role in this backstory of Overwatch 2.
What do you think of Blizzard’s mysterious fox support hero in Overwatch 2? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Overwatch 2 has already integrated something else in the beta. Twitch streamer xQc was discovered by players in a somewhat absurd reference.
