Bobby Kim, Lead Concept Artist at Blizzard Korea Studio, revealed the creation process behind Overwatch's new heroes, Jetpack Cat and D.Mon. At 'Overwatch Day' in Busan, he shared the thought process behind turning characters that existed only in concept for a long time into actual playable heroes, highlighting their evolution from early sketches to final designs.

Lead Concept Artist Bobby Kim participated in developing the concept art for Jetpack Cat and D.Mon, both introduced this year. Jetpack Cat in particular was the very first hero development project Kim worked on. While he previously introduced parts of the development process alongside Game Director Aaron Keller in an official video, at this event he showcased early ideas and sketches that had not been revealed at the time.

The origin of Jetpack Cat dates back 10 years. In an early image revealed around the launch of Overwatch in 2016, a cat named 'Pika' appeared, sparking long-standing requests from players who wanted to see a flying cat hero in the actual game. The development team was well aware of these expectations and eventually began turning the idea of a cat riding a jetpack into an official hero.

The challenge was that it was not as simple as just strapping a jetpack onto a cat. The team had to redesign various elements from scratch, including what posture Pika should assume when mounted and piloting to look natural, how it should look when another ally rides along, and how to implement fun movement in actual combat. Selecting a few from numerous draft designs, they developed the attack methods and mounting structures, while also designing ways for the cat to operate the craft using its front paws.

Different options were also considered for melee attacks. In early development, there was an idea for a "cat dropkick" where the cat would directly deliver a kick, but after repeated reviews, the "cat paw strikes" familiar to players were chosen as the final form. For the pilot's appearance, after comparing various breeds and colors, they settled on a ginger tabby (Korean Shorthair), which gives a chubby, friendly impression and is commonly seen in Korea.

Cat-specific traits were actively woven into the detailed design. The controllers were built with a structure resembling cat paws to apply a "feline-ergonomic" design, and the gun barrel was also styled like a paw pad. While showing a smart and aggressive side during battle, the action sketches also aimed to reflect Pika's dual personality as an ordinary, cute cat in everyday moments. Kim shared that as a developer, he felt immense gratification seeing memes and fan content flood in from around the world following Jetpack Cat's reveal.

D.Mon, introduced next, was a project with a different kind of significance for Bobby Kim. As a Korean developer, participating in the concept art creation for a new Korean hero was meaningful, he said, adding that presenting the development process in Busan—D.Mon's base of operations—made it feel even more special.

D.Mon is the leader of the MEKA Squad, possessing an impression distinctly different from D.Va's Hana Song. The development team focused on keeping the core characteristics fans already knew from existing lore, while making her feel fresh as a new hero. Just as D.Va showed an evolved design from her earlier iterations, the team reviewed various silhouettes and mounting structures for D.Mon to ensure she inherited her established image while naturally giving off an upgraded feel.

A key task was deciding how to showcase pilot Yuna Lee's presence. The development team refined the design so Yuna could be clearly seen operating the mech directly from the front, while bringing out the personality of both the pilot and the mech at the same time. On the outside, she appears cool-headed and rough, but as a responsible leader who protects her squadmates from the front lines in battle, that personality served as an important design standard. To give the character more depth, they added lore that when she is alone, her hobby is quietly assembling plastic model kits.

The final D.Mon was completed with a more aggressive silhouette, emphasizing her image as a Tank hero wielding a sword and shield. Combined with the work of developers across hero design, 3D art, animation, and technical art, another Korean hero was born following D.Va. Bobby Kim stated, "As a Korean Overwatch developer working in Korea, I am thrilled to be part of this project," and asked fans to look forward to D.Mon's upcoming performance in the game.