According to the subtle but very telling maple leaf on the jacket of the initial concept art for Overwatch hero Mei, it is safe to assume the original plan for Mei was to be Canadian (and quite different looking, too). As such, her ice and snow abilities would have made a lot more sense.
As a Canadian myself, I of course long for some kind of tie between Overwatch and Canada, but I wouldn't trade Mei's character now for the world (she's cute even though I'm terrified of her).
The character concepts blurb next to the original Mei explains that the Overwatch designers ultimately felt that this hero looked too intimidating, and that the game already had many serious characters. The team wanted someone with a lighter tone.
Present-day Mei is an adorable character, though that does not make her less intimidating -- as any Overwatch player will tell you.
This isn't the first glimmer of Canada in Overwatch. Rumors about Lucio being Canadian have been discussed for years, and a very small amount of evidence concerning Pharah's father being Canadian was found in an Overwatch digital comic.
In the meantime, Mei's very Canadian voice line, "Sorry, I'm sorry sorry," will have to suffice.
Photos courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment
