Blizzard is at it, yet again! The hit multiplayer hero shooter, Overwatch (2016), is getting an update that includes a brand new addition in the form of the Blizzard World map. An addition that has us begging for the studio to create an real-world counterpart.

While at Blizzcon 2017, Blizzard announced that the map would come to their game in early 2018. Well, early 2018 is here, and Blizzard aims to please. The Blizzard World map will come to the game on 23 January 2018.

The map is a hybrid map, which means players can both attack and protect the payload. It is themed around all of Blizzard’s properties, by way of a theme park. Sadly, the announcement video was not accompanied by an actual theme park announcement.

The video showcases prominent features from other properties, such as the Siege Tank from StarCraft II (2010); a coaster called “Flight to Duskwood”, which obviously references World of Warcraft (2004)’s Duskwood; the famous tavern from Hearthstone (2014); a Heroes of the Storm (2015) arcade; and even a “dungeon” based on Diablo III (2012)!

Overwatch’s Blizzard World map will arrive during the normal patch hours on Tuesday, 23 January 2018. This means that players are very likely to get balance updates and other fixes at the same time. Among the fixes, players can also expect exclusive new skins. Widowmaker, for instance, will get a new StarCraft Nova skin, while Zarya will get a barbarian skin. Torbjorn and Doomfist will both get World of Warcraft-inspired skins, whilst Orisa will get an awesome skin based on StarCraft’s Immortal! In total there will be eight new skins, a new map, and perhaps even a bit more.

Overwatch game director, Jeff Kaplan, mentioned that the company has even more in store for the game in 2018. This is certainly good news, as it seems like the Overwatch hype is not dissipating any time soon. Overwatch usually releases seasonal events based on the Chinese lunar years, so keep an eye out for news on that right here on Vamers!

[Sources: Eurogamer,  IGN Africa, Gamesradar,  Polygon,  YouTube]

View Author Profile

Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.