Blizzard to nerf Overwatch hero Torbjorn on consoles in July

Blizzard is looking to adjust another hero in its popular multiplayer shooter Overwatch's diverse and colourful roster soon, game director Jeff Kaplan said. In response to fan complaints that Swedish defender Torbjörn is far too powerful, Kaplan has said that the dwarf-like hero's turret damage will be getting a significant downgrade when the next patch rolls out for consoles next month.

The dwarf-like hero's turrets will get a 30% reduction in damage when the next patch is deployed for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One between mid to late July "depending on 1st party certification," Kaplan said in a Reddit comment. The character will remain the same in the game's PC version.

On a game where mouse-and-keyboard controls allow for greater accuracy than console gamepads, the hero's auto-aiming turret can make him an overpowering force to take down opponents with precision on consoles.

According to fan site Master Overwatch, Torbjorn has an average win rate of 61.6%, making him the second best-performing hero behind light manipulator Symmetra at 62.6%.

Given Blizzard's significant efforts to craft a roster filled with 21 memorable heroes, each with their own unique skills, abilities and rich backstories, the developer has been quick to address any post-launch character balancing issues so far to create an even playing field among its beloved characters.

Other heroes that have received balance changes are gun-slinging vigilante McCree and French assassin Widowmaker. The team is also looking to introduce possible changes to former pro gamer-turned-mech-pilot D. Va as well.

Overwatch's revamped competitive play mode is set to release by the end of June.

Since its release to critical acclaim on 24 May, Blizzard's newest IP in nearly two decades has been a massive success for the developer, garnering 10 million players and counting across all three platforms and raking in an estimated $269m in digital sales across both PC and consoles in May.

Overwatch is now available for PS4, Xbox One and PC.