Does Overwatch really copy Paladins characters?

Yesterday, Blizzard officially confirmed the 27th Overwatch hero as Brigitte Lindholm, a support and tank character, and Torbjörn’s daughter. While Overwatch fans are excited about the arrival of the new character, one developer has asked questions on social media about Brigitte’s design.

On Twitter, the president of Hi-Rez studio, Stew Chisam, the developer of the game Paladins: Champions of the Realm, pointed out the similarities between Brigitte and a Paladin character named Ash. Ash and Brigitte’s designs are indeed very similar. Both are female, wear heavy armor and have similar features (chest protectors are an example). They have serious expressions and are all wielding large weapons.

Both these women have similar skills. In Paladins, Ash has a skill like Shoulder Bash to knock opponents backwards, while in Overwatch, Brigiette has Shield Bash which also has the same function. both characters have shield-based skills (Ash has Siege Shield, Brigitte has Barrier Shield) and both can increase their own speed (Briggitte has Rally, Ash has Assert Dominance). They are so similar that many people wonder about this coincidence.

Quick poll: If I happened to notice and point out any similarities between these two characters, would that make me the Pot calling the Kettle black, or the Kettle calling the Pot black? This will keep me up tonight unless I get a clear answer. pic.twitter.com/rt9j3NT0S0

— HiRezStew (@schisam) 1 March 2018

It should be remembered that when Chisam asked this question on Twitter, the publisher only said it in a funny way and did not mean to accuse of plagiarism or anything. Chisam just asked on Twitter if it was similar to the case of the Vase calling the Black Kettle, referring to people saying Paladins copied Overwatch.

In response to Chisam’s message, Andee Cantotore, publicity expert at Hi-Rez Studios jokingly said that people in the greenhouse should not throw stones. Implying that Chisam pointed out the similarity of the two games is very funny.

According to a follow-up message on tweet by Chisam, the comparison was made as “a commentary on the absurdity of modern life as a game designer after the TF2 (Team Fotress 2) and Dota,” instead of being insulting. While there are plenty of games that copy Overwatch and character designs, Paladins and Overwatch aren’t about plagiarizing each other. It’s like game designers playing the same games, taking the same courses, and following the same trends, so that they show up in their work.

Source: Twitter (first), (2), (3)