Blizzard has released a new Overwatch short story called Bastet, which reveals a small piece of information confirming original roster-member Soldier 76 as an LGBTQ character.
Announced on the official Overwatch Twitter account, the 14-page story features heroes Ana and Jack Morrison (Soldier 76) meeting up for the first time after thinking the other dead. The pair strike a deal to take on an evil organization in Egypt, and reminisce about the past.
During the preparation, Soldier 76 pours over some old photographs. In one, Ana recognizes his former lover, Vincent. Ana asks Jack if he still holds a candle for Vincent, but Jack denies it, saying “Vincent deserved a happier life than the one I could give him.”
We are also treated to a look at the new Bastet Ana skin which is set to come out. The skin features the black and gold cat goddess mask shown in the short story. Ana wears it in the hope that it will become a guardian figure for the people of Egypt, who she feels responsible for.
Lead writer on Overwatch, Michael Chu has also since confirmed that Soldier 76 and Vincent are canonically gay.
This is one of the first pieces of Overwatch lore we’ve seen in a while about a long-established character, and fans on Twitter are going crazy:
Many official Overwatch League team accounts also replied to the Tweet including the Houston Outlaws. This team hosts the first openly LGBTQ player in the league Austin “Muma” Wilmot and are known for being pro LGBTQ.
Soldier 76 isn’t the first LGBTQ character in Overwatch. In 2016, it was revealed that Tracer had a girlfriend, Emily.
Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN who wants that Ana skin. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch.