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Everyone’s favorite lovable, huggable, and oh-so-squeakable half-onion, half-octopus has made its latest foray into the Overwatch fray as a full ensemble fit for only the most devoted of fanboys: Roadhog. His whimsical new skin is the product of Overwatch team concept artist David Kang’s creative expertise as both a designer of skins and squeaky mascot characters.
Kang, creator of the Pachimari and one of the minds behind the latest Roadhog skin, talks octo-onions, designing Roadhog skins, and what it was like to pull out all the stops to craft an outfit fit for #1 Pachimari Fan himself.
Sporting his Pachimari pin collection, an enormous tentacle, and a delightful little propeller hat that gives his ensemble an extra fun spin, Roadhog looks every part the ultimate Pachimari enthusiast—all thanks to concept artist David Kang and the Overwatch skins team. “It was definitely a pretty cool idea from the start,” says Kang, who spearheaded the skin creation efforts and took Roadhog from junker to Pachimari mega-fan. “We had been thinking about this skin for over a year now and had a few sketches already done. An opportunity came up with this new event, so we decided to try it out. I couldn't be happier with the outcome.”
The skin was initially concepted as an amusement park-themed Roadhog dressed to the pachi-nines in all of the delightful swag he’d purchased. When the concept of the event came around, the team put in as much whimsical work as they could to bring the idea of #1 Pachimari Fan Roadhog to life.
The most difficult aspect of the skin to design around, says Kang, was Roadhog’s signature mask. In order to stay true to his hog-themed headwear, they opted for a palette-swap, painting over the black with the white of the Pachimari’s face and adding some blush detailing on his cheeks to match his favorite mascot. “For Roadhog skins, we always have to think about what to do with his mask. We haven't shown what his face looks like behind the mask yet, so we always have to think of a creative way to change it.”
In the end, they chose to alter Roadhog’s base look by adding a handful of key design elements that make the skin a memorable one. “I love the hat Roadhog has on,” says Kang. “It definitely gives that #1 Pachimari Fan feel to the skin. The huge Pachimari tentacle over his shoulder is a pretty cool and weird addition, as well; definitely something you would expect in Pachimari World.”
Almost five years since its creation, with a slew of physical Pachimari now readily available for players to purchase and the character having become one of the defacto mascots of Overwatch, Kang is still surprised just how popular his creation has become. “I still can't believe how well-known and synonymous the character is to the game,” says Kang. “It's become like the murloc of Overwatch. Pachimari has always been a reminder of the beginnings of my career at Blizzard and the development phase of the game when the team was smaller and the atmosphere was filled with excitement to show Overwatch to the world.”
The PachiMarchi Challenge is here! Now through March 22, win games to earn delightful new rewards and become the ultimate Pachimari enthusiast—second only to Roadhog, of course. Collect a slew of pachi-swag, including a Junkrat emote, pachimar-ized sprays of Overwatch heroes, and the Pachimari Roadhog skin!