About

Sigma is a playable hero character set to be released in the multiplayer first-person shooter game Overwatch. After the character was unveiled in late July 2019, many jokes and memes about his bare feet circulated in various communities online.

Origin

On July 22nd, 2019, the PlayOverwatch YouTube channel uploaded an animated video titled "Sigma Origin Story," which revealed the backstory for the upcoming hero Sigma (shown below, left). The following day, the channel released a video in which Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan explains that Sigma will be a "barrier tank" in the game, using a deployable "experimental barrier" as a shield for his teammates (shown below, right).

Spread

That day, the Your Overwatch channel uploaded a video showcasing all the Sigma's abilities (shown below). Within 24 hours, the video accumulated upwards of 705,000 views and 3,200 comments.

Also on July 23rd, 2019, Redditor DrFrungusBudunkus submitted a "He is speaking the language of the gods" image macro (shown below). Within 24 hours, the post gained over 30,900 points (95% upvoted) and 300 comments on /r/dankmemes.^[2]

Meanwhile, Twitter user @sweetpotatoes^[3] tweeted images highlighted Sigma's bare feet, along with the message "please tell me there's a lore reason why sigma is not wearing shoes" (shown below). Later that day, Kotaku^[4] published an article titled "The Internet Reacts To Overwatch's Sigma (And His Feet)."

Search Interest

External References