Blizzard has big plans for Overwatch heading into 2017, so reveals a recent developer update presented by game director Jeff Kaplan. Released over the holiday period, the recap celebrates the popular shooter’s first year of release, which was revealed earlier this year to be the developer’s fastest game to reach 20 million registered players, beating out the likes of World of Warcraft and collectible card game Hearthstone, both of which are hugely popular in their own right.
So, what’s in store for the future? According to Kaplan, one of the first orders of the day is the continuation of balance patches, which aim to tweak existing characters, including newest roster entry Sombra. When these will be introduced, Kaplan doesn’t say, but he does caution that the development team is wary of making drastic changes too soon, preferring instead to let players accustom themselves to the offensive fighter before wading in with the tweaks.
Other areas being considered for some chopping and changing are the communication wheel and customizations, with the option to deploy into battle with four different voice lines, emotes and sprays on the cards for the near future.
[wgtc_youtube video_id=”VGilQTiRyGc”]In regards to new content, Kaplan says a new map – Oasis – is expected to release in “early 2017,” with multiple others and new characters already under consideration. While none of those are guaranteed to ever see the light of day, Kaplan details one such character that’s currently in the art development process.
Could it be the very same individual that’s rumored to be voiced by actor Terry Crews? Only time will tell. Improved spectator modes and eSports support are just some of the other future updates Kaplan touches on in the video, but we’ll have to wait until a later date to hear more on those.
So, we now have an idea of what Blizzard has planned for Overwatch for the year ahead, but what are your wants and desires for the shooter for 2017? Let us know in the comments section below.