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Blizzard Lays Out Content Roadmap For Overwatch
Overwatch's Game Director Jeff Kaplan discussed today in their Developer Update video series what the Overwatch team is currently working on as well as a general content release schedule. While Kaplan stressed that some stuff may be cut before we see it, he talked about new heroes, new maps, and a few balance updates, mainly pertaining to Support hero, Symmetra.
Blizzard is currently working on two heroes; one ready for release "sooner rather than later" and the other with a release window of "probably some time next year." However, neither were confirmed to be the oft-rumored Sombra hero as Blizzard is quite mum on directly referencing her by name.
New maps are also in the pipeline; two nearly complete maps for pre-existing modes and four maps for new modes in the early testing stage. Again, Kaplan sternly stated that not all of these may see the light of day because of possible unforeseen issues. For example, if a map doesn't work for a certain hero, it gets scrapped.
The state of Symmetra is a big concern for Blizzard and she could see changes as early as mid November. Kaplan stated it wouldn't be as "easy as some minor number tweaks," but probably through exploring more "dramatic" design changes. Although Kaplan isn't sure what they want to do, he was pretty adamant on her not having any healing abilities because "she was never intended to be [a healer]."
Spectator mode is also going through changes including bookmarked cameras, where you can go through as a spectator and attach cameras to certain places around the map. Hotkeys can be assigned to track specific players from those cameras for a more fluid viewing experience. This feature can also be used with the new cameras that are placed on the objective.
Kaplan concluded by assuring players that small updates, like more emotes and voice lines, are also on the way in addition to the bigger content drops.
Nothing was said about the rumored holiday event but it could release without a warning like the Summer Games.
If you want to learn more about Overwatch, you can read our glowing review here.
[Source: Blizzard's YouTube]
Our Take
Not only is Blizzard's continued support for Overwatch praiseworthy, but so is the way in which they present themselves to their huge playerbase. Being this up-front with concerns in the community is a great, forward-facing attitude that other developers should learn from, even if they might not have someone as delightful as Jeff Kaplan (who should probably start his own gaming ASMR YouTube channel with Mark Cerny). New free heroes, maps, and balance updates also continue to keep this fantastic game fresh, while the frequency of video updates gives off a vibe that Blizzard really cares.
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