The latest content added to Overwatch is the ongoing Uprising event, which runs until May 1. Players of the massively popular multiplayer shooter, however, can expect new maps to come to the game before the year ends.
The information was revealed by game director Jeff Kaplan in a post on the official Battle.net forums for Overwatch.
Three New 'Overwatch' Maps On Their Way
According to Kaplan, there are currently three new Overwatch maps in development, with all three of them already past the initial playtesting phase. These maps will be standard ones, meaning that they will be part of the Quick Play and Competitive mode map rotations once they are released.
"While something could always change, all 3 of those are looking likely for a release this year," Kaplan noted.
Kaplan added that the Overwatch development team is working on three more non-standard maps that will not be added to the Quick Play and Competitive map rotations. The purpose of these maps remain unclear, though they could be tied to upcoming events such as the player vs. enemy brawl in last year's Halloween event, Junkenstein's Revenge, or Arcade-only maps such as Ecopoint Antarctica.
Kaplan finished his post by saying that there are a few more experiments that the Overwatch development team is working on. He added that they will work as fast as they can to get the new maps into the game as soon as possible.
New Content For 'Overwatch'
The development team has released Oasis as the only new map so far this year. The Oasis map is the first one to feature jump pads, which has grown popular among Overwatch players, as well as moving traffic that can knock out players if they are not careful. Players can even incorporate the speeding vehicles into their strategy, as they can push back or pull opponents into the incoming traffic to take them down.
In addition to the new map, Blizzard also added Orisa, the omnic quadruped tank, to the roster of playable heroes last month. Orisa plays the role of a tank that provides advantages to her teammates if they stick close to her, similar to Reinhardt. Her ultimate skill, the Supercharger, boosts the damage output of her allies.
The 25th character for Overwatch is already in development, and Kaplan previously said that he already knows the identity of the upcoming hero. Most players are speculating that the new hero will be none other than Doomfist, a character often referenced in Overwatch lore. The arrival of Doomfist in Overwatch may necessitate an in-game event, which could use some of the maps that the development team is currently working on.
As mentioned, the Uprising event is currently ongoing for Overwatch and is the second event for the game after the Year of the Rooster. The event features new skins and a player vs. enemy brawl that pits a team of Tracer, Mercy, Reinhardt, and Torbjörn against a horde of omnics. The event is tied to an important part of the game's story, as it depicts an important mission carried out by the Overwatch team seven years ago.
