Blizzard has released a new “Year in Review” video in which game director for Overwatch, Jeff Kaplan, goes into detail of what to expect in the future.
Kaplan started off the video by thanking their fans for the breakout year they had with Overwatch; the game has been a hit since its beta phase and went on to win the Game of the Year award at 2016’s Game Awards.
“We want to thank you for what an awesome year 2016 has been for the Overwatch community, for all of us together,” Kaplan said. “And on behalf of all of us on the Overwatch team and at Blizzard, we want to wish you and your family a very warm and special holiday season. Thank you for everything you have done for us. We appreciate it.”
Watch the full video below:
He then followed it up by recapping all the major updates in 2016, including the upcoming tweak they plan on issuing to Sombra, their latest DLC character. However, they do not know when they will tweak her as the studio is still trying to figure out the perfect balance.
One big announcement that Kaplan makes is that the new DLC map, Oasis is on track to release in early 2017. If you are currently the Overwatch PTR, you might be quite familiar with the map. He also notes that fans should expect more in-game events in 2017. There are mentions that there are more maps on the way as well, but most of them are still in the early phase of development and might never see the light of day.
Fans of the game will be happy to hear this next part as it was one of the most requested features to be added; Overwatch is set to receive a server browser for custom games in 2017. In addition, the customization options will expand, allowing players to add up to four voice lines and emotes for their characters.
However, the biggest news of the whole video might be that Kaplan says Blizzard is working on more DLC characters for the game. All of them are prototypes at the moment, but one of them is looking very “promising” and is moving through the development process.
2016 has been a crazy year for Overwatch, from the launch to this day it has been making headlines. If you have yet to get in on the hero-based shooter, you might want to keep an eye out on your respective platform for sales. All three platforms — PS4, Xbox One, and PC, are set to hold a Holiday sales.
