Overwatch’s Jeff Kaplan Confirms Symmetra Is Autistic

Overwatch‘s Symmetra has recently been confirmed as autistic, according to a fan letter received from Blizzard’s Jeff Kaplan.

A copy of the letter was posted to a fan’s Tumblr, which you can view below:

The letter reads:

“Dear Samuel,

I am so glad Overwatch is providing a great way for you and your brother to bond! Nothing warms our hearts more than hearing stories like yours.

I’m glad you asked about Symmetra. It was very astute of you to notice that she mentioned the spectrum in our comic. Symmetra is autistic. She is one of our most beloved heroes and we think she does a great job of representing just how awesome someone with autism can be.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. I really enjoyed your letter and will share it with the rest of the team. Wishing you and your brother many fun games over Overwatch!

All the best,

(signed) Jeff Kaplan
Game Director, Overwatch”

This letter confirms that Symmetra is indeed somewhere on the autistic spectrum, something that fans have been wondering about every since she mentioned that “everyone was asking where she fit on the spectrum” in her comic, “A Better World”.

Confirming Symmetra as being something other than neurotypical is yet another step in the right direction for diversity within Overwatch, and I’m interested to see how Blizzard will handle this character trait, and if Symmetra will have to contend with people who don’t understand her unique thinking patterns. This kind of thing would most likely be revealed via a comic or an animated short as opposed to in-game, and I’m interested to see how Symmetra and the other Overwatch characters will continue to develop outside of the boundaries of gameplay.

Overwatch is available now for PC, Playstation 4 and Xbox One consoles.