ECHOES ECHO: THE STORY OF THE 32ND HERO

 You've seen her before: the sleek, shiny omnic was already featured in the early illustrations of Overwatch heroes. You've heard something about its creator , Mina Liao, whose knowledge was very useful to Jack Morrison, Gabriel Reyes and Ana Amari during the Rise of the Machines. Now she will finally appear in the game: Echo joins the ranks of Overwatch as the 32nd hero.

“Echo is different from other characters in that players have known about her for a long time,” commented Jeff Kaplan, Director of Overwatch. It can be seen that he is very attached to the new hero: he talks about her, as if about his own child taking the first steps in adulthood. “Players have already seen Echo in early Overwatch art. She also appeared in the short film Meeting of Old Friends , where McCree freed her from the hands of the Gang of the Dead. "

During the existence of the game, we came across Echo several times, but overwatch fans do not know much about Dr. Ming Liao. “Overwatch was founded by several people: among them, of course, were Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, - explained Jeff. “In creating the organization, they brought in Dr. Mina Liao, a leading expert in artificial intelligence and robotics. She previously worked for the Omnica Corporation, the corporation that originally created Omnica. Morrison wanted someone in the organization who had an excellent understanding of robots and the knowledge to help Overwatch intelligently deal with the Rise of the Machines. ”

Dr. Liao joined Overwatch to help new comrades understand who the Omniks are, how they work, and how the Rebellion can be ended. When the Omniks and humans reconciled, Dr. Liao continued her passionate exploration of the mysteries of robotics. What else can she find out? How can you improve omniks? Echo was supposed to answer these questions - the most ambitious of all the projects of the doctor, which will become her parting gift to the world, although Mina herself did not know about it.

“Liao went to Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes and said, 'I can create an adaptive robot. If we need a pilot for a strike force, such a robot can be one; a doctor will be needed - the robot will learn to provide medical care. Whoever you need for the task, this robot will be able to adjust and complete any task. It will be extremely useful for Overwatch. ""

Although Morrison did not really want to develop this idea, he still gave Liao permission on the condition that she kept everything under control. “However, Mina went a little further and created a robot that learns on its own ... by observing the world,” Jeff continued. “While she was working on Project Echo, the robot gradually adopted her voice, and therefore Echo's voice is also the voice of Dr. Mina Liao. The more Echo developed, the more she studied the characters she often saw: she watched them and learned to do what they can, just like them. "

Liao managed to create artificial intelligence - adaptive and flexible, capable of adjusting its behavior, realigning on the fly (literally) and learning by observation. All these features made Echo a first-class helper - but also a possible hindrance: her self-awareness developed, and the omnic began to think about her purpose.

Few knew about Echo's true capabilities, but Blackwatch agent Jesse McCree, tasked with protecting Liao and her work, befriended the doctor and often kept her company when she worked on Echo. After Liao died in an attack on the lab, Overwatch froze all of her work and quarantined Echo, unwilling to continue the project without its founder. A few years later, they decided to move Echo to a guarded government base, but this was not destined to come true: the train on which she was transported was captured by the Gang of the Dead, but Echo was bravely rescued by her old comrade McCree. After that, the omnic traveled to Paris to help the newly convened Overwatch forces repel the Null Sector attack - this we saw in the starting point video... She is now a full member of the re-formed Overwatch.

“Mina Liao's legacy continues to live on in Echo,” Jeff said. "She has adopted many of Mina's traits and is constantly adjusting to the agents around her."

After leaving the laboratory, Echo can explore the world on his own for the first time. As Liao's living legacy, she has partnered with Overwatch and continues to learn. As her self-awareness grows, she begins to reflect on what awaits her in the future - while her allies wonder whether she will remain only an echo of Liao or develop her own personality.