Overwatch heroes' names?

General Discussion
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How do you all think they came up with their names?, just a fun discussion

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they had bunch o random names stickynoted on the wall
and they let their darts decide

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Overwatch is actually just a really elaborate tabletop game being played by baby Winston and Dr. Harold Winston to teach baby Winston critical thinking skills.

All the call signs are just heroes baby Winston is making up. Baby Winston also likes roleplaying as himself but as a big buff guy.

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4

They just did whatever sounded cool.

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One thing I’ve always found hilariously ironic is that Widowmaker made herself a widow.

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Symmetra is actually a combination of the English word Symmetry meaning “perfect balance”, and the hindi word Sumitra meaning “true friend”

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This made my life, thank you.
Anyways, I feel like some names are very just obvious call signs, like Mercy and Reaper, not really creative, but much easier to remember and recognize.

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Well, technically she was brainwashed, but I hear what you’re saying :slightly_smiling_face:

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Divine, D.vine, D.v,D.va

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I vaguely recall reading somewhere (in the Origins edition artbook I think) that for McCree they literally had a long list of cowboy-ish names and kept going through combinations until they found one that stuck.

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Until they found an Employee with the perfect name.

Now that employee can’t say his name without paying Blizzard.

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Or,

Just a possibility here.

Diva > D.va

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Actually “symmetry” is not really related with balance at all. It derives from (syn- or συΜ-) which enables an indirect comparison, relation or point of view, while metry derives from -metria, -ÎŒÎ”Ï„ÏÎŻÎ± (i.e ÎŒÎ­Ï„ÏÎż, meter). “Perfect balance” is related with harmony, not symmetry. Also, I don’t really think that her name was a product of such deep thought.

Symmetry is extensively used in geometry and architecture. The original word is Symmetria, therefore the most probable scenario is that they abandoned “i” in order to seem like a name and not a noun.

Edit: It’s worth noting that Game and Graphics Designers already know this terminology during their studies.

Edit 2: I can provide you some examples to understand better the original root of symmetry.

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McCree straight from fallout3-4. Voice actor of MacCready in f4 is voice actor for McCree

You also can make Mc RREE from Matt Mercer name

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simply Diva, no need to give her more than she deserves

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Mei has 3 letters in her name
A triangle has 3 sides.
Triangles are often associated with the illuminati
The illuminati is an enemy of the church
Biggest enemy of the church is satan

Therefore, mei is satan

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-How do we called the speedy girl?
-I don’t know just trace her for now :thinking:
-Tracer!? That’s perfect! Thanks mate. Hey guys, we have a name!

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There’s no way someone just names a character Olivia Colomar without staring too hard at a tequila bottle after downing the whole thing.

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If the luck on the dart throw was any different we could’ve ended up with junkfist and doomrat.

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Well let’s see, off the top of my head:

  • We know “Soldier: 76” was Jack’s number in the SEP.
  • “Sombra” means “shadow” and that’s very straightforward.
  • I’ve heard Reyes was using “Reaper” even in his Blackwatch days and honestly I think he’s just a legit drama-loving edgelord who obviously listens to AC/DC and probably Black Sabbath.
  • “Widowmaker” was given to AmĂ©lie by Talon, so that was just them not bothering to come up with something more figurative and less literal. (Or they thought it was funny.)
  • Zarya and Pharah are both plays on their actual names, I don’t know if they have any deeper meaning than that.
  • Zenyatta is probably based on the idea of zen and the “-yatta” is probably related to Buddhism. I don’t remember the specifics or names, but I’m sure that’s it.
  • D.Va is obviously a play on the word “diva” and if I remember correctly it’s popular to shorten English words in dumb ways.
  • Orisa = OR15 + a guardian spirit in some African religions.

Um
 that’s all I can remember that aren’t actual given names, other than Symmetra.

Edit: Junkrat, Roadhog, Doomfist = pretty dang obvious.
Edit 2: “Tracer” was Lena’s call sign in her pilot days, I believe, and a “tracer” is a trail of something that can be followed—or “traced”—so it was probably related to flight, then however they were able to find her when she was lost in the timestream or whatever, and now it’s obviously related to the trail she leaves when she blinks.