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After years of no news, Activision Blizzard has announced a Beta for the upcoming Overwatch 2, with new maps for players to battle in. The game has been hit with delays and setbacks, circumstances likely complicated because of the scandal that has surrounded the company, but Overwatch fans have finally gotten some news concerning its progress. All of the maps that the game will have upon release are unknown, so it’s possible that there will be more new ones announced as time goes on.
Overwatch 2 is a sequel to the hit online multiplayer FPS Overwatch. It promises new looks for existing characters, new game modes, and a new hero for players to enjoy upon release, and it’s likely that more will come afterwards in future updates. Fans of the original can sign up for Overwatch 2‘s Beta on Battle.net in “late April“, although a specific date has yet to be announced. The game has been in development since 2019, and after three years without news, it’s a relief to finally hear an update from the company.
There are four maps that Activision has announced for Overwatch 2‘s Beta; Circuit Royal, Midtown, New Queen Street, and Collosseo. The Beta will also come with a new hero, Sojourn, and a new game mode called Push. There will apparently be a new Ping system and reworks for existing heroes. It’s likely that there will be even more new content when the game finally releases, and perhaps even more announced before then, but for now, fans of the original Overwatch have plenty to look forward to.
Circuit Royal Is The Overwatch 2 Beta’s Night Map
Circuit Royal is one of the new maps that have been announced for the upcoming Overwatch 2. Xbox and its acquired studios are working on the game and its maps, and have been for quite some time. Circuit Royal is a map for the Escort game mode, which players of the first Overwatch will be familiar with. It’s located in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and looks like it will be an exciting map with plenty of possible nuances.
Although the maps’ full details are still unknown, it looks darker than most from what’s been shown so far. It would appear that games with this map will take place at night, which may give an advantage to some heroes more than others. The futuristic-looking highway is an interesting prospect, one that could be challenging if the map’s path includes it.
Midtown Shows Off New York In The Overwatch 2 Beta
Midtown is another of the new maps that Activision Blizzard has promised for Overwatch 2‘s Beta. It’s a Hybrid map, meaning that it combines aspects of the Assault and Escort game modes. Overwatch 2 will be different on Nintendo Switch than for PC or other consoles, but the maps should hopefully stay the same, and this one looks to have plenty of personality. It’s located in New York, where many of the game’s developers hail from, with features that players should enjoy seeing once the game releases. It’s tough to say exactly what its final look and layout will be like, but native New Yorkers can look forward to trying to recognize locales from their home.
Players will likely be able to fight through the streets of a New York that’s much more advanced yet more retro than the New York we know. Its aesthetics call back to art deco styling, and the futuristic technology and classic visuals don’t appear to clash from what’s been shown so far. Microsoft now owns many Activision Blizzard games like Overwatch 2, hopefully there are plenty of resources available to developers to make it the best faux New York it can be. How much of what makes New York famous will be in the map is unknown, but an in-universe version of Grand Central Station is confirmed. Overall, it looks like a very aesthetically pleasing map that may end up becoming a fan favorite.
New Queen Street Is One Of Two Push Maps In Overwatch 2’s Beta
New Queen Street is the third of the new maps that will be available in Overwatch 2‘s Beta. It’s the first of the maps that will feature the new Push game mode, in which both teams will attempt to push a giant robot towards the other team’s base. It may sound very similar to the Escort mode at first, but the robot will start in a central location, and either team can take control of it. Overwatch‘s 5v5 model will change the game, and the Push mode even more so. Instead of one team trying to progress and the other trying to impede them, both will attempt to make their own progress and reverse the other’s.
The New Queen Street map is set in Toronto, Canada. Although the original game already has a snow-themed map in Ecopoint: Antarctica, New Queen Street looks like it will be much more developed and linear. How similar it will be to the actual Toronto is unknown. It appears to have elements from the real-life King Street, Queen Street, and Dundas Street. There’s only one location confirmed so far, King Street Station, but more may come to light during the Beta.
Colosseo Is The Second Push Map In Overwatch 2’s Beta
Colosseo is the last map that was announced for Overwatch 2‘s Beta, and it’s the second of the two Push maps. Details about Overwatch 2‘s new Rio map have unfortunately not come along with the Beta, but players can look forward to another new map set in Rome, Italy. This map is causing a particular buzz among the fan community due to the fact that some believe (as indicated by this Reddit post from shatteredsunx) that it contains a hint to an unannounced new hero, Magnus. Whether it’s true is as of yet unconfirmed, but it is an exciting prospect.
The map itself appears to be centered on a recreation of the real-life Roman Colisseum. It’s possible that the Colisseum itself is where the robot will start out, and that players will have to push it to other areas. If so, a wide-open space with decent cover like it would provide could make for a slow start to the game. Colosseo may end up being frustrating in the Beta, but if it does, it would hopefully be fixed before the game actually releases. Overwatch 2 is still in the Beta phase, so fans of the original shouldn’t worry too much about problems with the maps for now.
Source: shatteredsunx/Reddit
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