Blizzard had an incredibly successful 2016, and a lot of that can be attributed to their foray into the first-person shooter genre with Overwatch. Not only did their team-based shooter find an audience, it has continued to be one of the most popular multiplayer games ever since it released earlier this year. The game has seen several substantial updates since launch including two new characters, and several themed events (such as a holiday one that is currently ongoing).
This led to Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan to release a YouTube video (which you can watch above) recapping the shooter’s first year, and talk about what is coming to the game in 2017. The 12 minute video is worth the watch, but we’ve got the major details if you don’t have time to spare.
First off, the game should be getting a new map early next year. Called Oasis, the map has already been in beta on the PC version of the game, and is nearing completion. He also revealed several user requests that are being implemented including a server browser for custom games, and an update that will “strongly encourage players who are partied up to join team chat.”
Kaplan also went into the game’s development process and said that Blizzard is working on several new heroes, maps and modes. Some of this most likely won’t see the light of day, however. “We tend to work on more content than we release because we prototype stuff,” said Kaplan. “Sometimes it fails or we don’t like it or we wanna go back to the drawing board.” Some stuff will make it past Blizzard’s high standards though, so players can expect plenty of updates in 2017.
