Mauga (Overwatch)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maugaloa Malosi | |
|---|---|
| Overwatch character | |
 | |
| First game | Overwatch 2 (2023) |
| Created by | Alyssa Wong[1] |
| Designed by | Alyssa Wong and Arnold Tsang[2] Qiu Fang (Overwatch 2)[3] Si'I Liafau (tattoos)[4] |
| Voiced by | John Tui[5] |
| In-universe information | |
| Class | Tank |
| Nationality | Samoan |
Maugaloa Malosi, more commonly referred to as Mauga, is a character who first appeared in the 2023 video game Overwatch 2, a Blizzard Entertainment–developed first-person hero shooter. Originally introduced in a 2018 short story for the franchise, he was intended to be included in the first Overwatch, but due to complications his in-game debut was delayed twice. Mauga is a large Samoan mercenary associated with the terrorist group Talon, along with fellow member Baptiste, armed with twin chain guns he has named "Cha Cha" and "Gunny". He is voiced by John Tui.
Since his debut in short story media related to the franchise, fans have been anticipating the character's introduction, theorizing how he could play and expressing confusion through memes in response to his absence. His personality has received praise for how it contrasts to other members of Talon, being cheerful where many of them are portrayed as brooding. Mauga has received comparisons to other characters, such as Heavy Weapons Guy from Team Fortress 2 but also Maui from the film Moana, the latter being due to their close resemblance in heritage and body shape. This later comparison however resulted in whether or not it could be seen as cultural stereotyping, especially in light of Mauga directly referencing some of Maui's dialogue.
Character design
Mauga was created by writer Alyssa Wong for the Blizzard Entertainment game Overwatch. Wong stated on social media website Twitter that they designed him from the ground up,[1] and that he was codenamed "Kielbasa" in early development to deter dataminers. Design notes described Mauga a large, broad-shouldered man with a similarly large smile, and a streak of white running through his hair "like a lightning strike".[6] Mauga first appeared in Wong's 2018 short story tie-in to the game titled "What You Left Behind", written by Wong and illustrated by concept artist Arnold Tsang. Tsang stated the story was conceived to help flesh out the character of Baptiste, who at that point in the game had little ties to other characters.[2]
While Overwatch lead writer stated Mauga's introduction into the game was meant to coincide with his release,[7] according to game designer Joshua Noh, they found the intended gameplay they developed didn't fit the personality or skills they had established for him. As a result, another character was designed and released, Sigma, to utilize the intended concept.[8] The COVID-19 pandemic further delayed his release, and though he was planned to be included as part of Overwatch 2's launch cast, his introduction was replaced with the more complete character Ramattra to give the developers more time to finish his character.[9]
For his in-game appearance in Overwatch 2, Mauga was designed by concept artist Qiu Fang.[3] According to art director Dion Rogers, they wanted to add characters that people would want to be, and felt that a Samoan would fit the character design they were looking for, a large figure that moved slower but had significant firepower. To this end, significant research was done on Samoans and Polynesians to ensure the right look. Significant planning went into his fighting style, which they chose to base off his smart and aggressive personality.[5] In his initial appearance, Mauga was armed two chain guns.[10] They chose to keep this aspect, feeling giant guns best represented "this Giant of a man". The guns themselves, nicknamed "Cha Cha" and "Gunny",[5] ended up the largest weapons in Overwatch 2 at that point, and went through several iterations to ensure they fit his size and scale.[4]
Mauga is voiced by John Tui, who was chosen out of a wide group immediately after auditioning for the role.[11] The development team praised Tui for bringing the character's personality to life, with narrative designer Kyungseo Min stating his "cheerful and boisterous voice embodied the character they were looking for". Others in the development team offered similar praise, feeling he helped emphasize Mauga's joyous but dark edge.[5] Some of Mauga's lines are voiced in Samoan; the development team was pleasantly surprised that shortly after the character's reveal, fans took to reddit to explain what they meant, something they had not expected.[9]
Standing over 7 ft (213 cm) tall,[12] Mauga is a tanned, very broad and muscular man with long black hair that has a shock of white above his upper-left brow, and a thin black beard covering his lower jaw. Tattoos cover his torso an arms, save for his stomach. Orange and silver metal plates rest on his pectorals, upper abdomen, and biceps. His outfit consists of a white headbang, gold earrings, and fingerless sleeved gloves with plated knuckles. Mauga is shirtless, which his lower body covered by matching set of brown pants, boots, and a belt. Orange armor plating covers his lower legs and knees, as well as the sides of his hips and waist.[4]
Mauga's tattoos went through several iterations. While his early design showed him with Polynesian-inspired tattoos, after reviewing it with a cultural consultant, they found they weren't authentic to Samoan culture. They reached out to tattoo artist Si'I Liafau,[13] a master in traditional Samoan tattoos, who worked directly with the art team.[4] This resulted in a back-and-forth between them, as each submitted their own designs to the other but had to ensure that while authentic, the tattoos could work within the constraints of the character model.[9]
Like other Overwatch characters, Mauga received skins, unlockable cosmetic items to change his in-game appearance. In particular, his "Magma" skin gives him a lava-themed body with black stone armor bits covering it all over, while a red loincloth dangles in the front. By constract, "Bonesplitter" was designed to fit into the theme of the game's "Beast Hunter" event, removing his tattoos and giving him bone armor around his feet, lower legs, and shoulders, while a five o'clock shadow covers his lower face.[14] Meanwhile, as part of a collaboration between Blizzard and the creators of the anime Cowboy Bebop, Mauga received a skin based on its character Jet Black. Kotaku writer Kenneth Shepard expressed surprise at the decision, feeling that the character Doomfist with his robotic arm would have made a better fit.[15][16]
