Overwatch 2’s New Antarctic Map Options Bulletproof Penguins, A Fishing Mini-Sport, And Extra Of Mei’s Backstory

With Overwatch 2’s third season simply across the nook, Blizzard is able to reveal the sport’s latest, and chilliest, map: Antarctic Peninsula. This icy addition is Overwatch 2’s first map solely designed for Management, a sport mode first launched within the unique Overwatch that sees two groups of 5 sq. up towards one another as they try to take care of management of a location for a set time period.

Although this mode is an Overwatch staple–and followers of Mei’s Snowball Offensive would possibly discover the arctic setting a bit familiar–Antarctic Peninsula marks an essential shift in how Blizzard might be approaching maps because the collection continues. In a bunch interview with GameSpot and different gaming retailers, artwork director Dion Rogers, degree designer Trey Spisak, and lead narrative designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie elaborated on how the sport’s map improvement is evolving, what makes Antarctic Peninsula distinctive from earlier maps, and what lies in retailer for Overwatch 2’s future.

At the beginning, the Antarctic Peninsula map marks the beginning of one thing new for Blizzard: a push towards what Blizzard calls extra natural maps. The builders defined that, till not too long ago, Overwatch maps have primarily been designed in a really modular vogue. Nevertheless, because the workforce has checked off all of the “standard places” and cities throughout the globe, Rogers defined, they now wish to give attention to the “many under-inspected places” they have been “toying round with.”

“Overwatch is a city-based sport, you combat in cities in New York and in Portugal, however Antarctica is a really natural map for us,” artwork director Rogers mentioned. “It is uneven in its shapes, there’s curvatures to the caves and ice, and this posed a problem for each narrative and degree design to make a map that options much less of that modular feeling. We pushed it fairly far, how natural an Overwatch map could be.

“After we jumped into Antarctica, we talked with our instruments engineers, or graphic engineers, in regards to the forms of instruments we would wish to create extra natural shapes in a sooner method. Usually, an artist would wish to sculpt most shapes, however we up to date our instruments so now we’re excited to discover extra areas just like the jungle or perhaps a full atmosphere that is a cave. It’s very doable now with the brand new engine… We positively plan to do extra of what we name ‘organic-based maps.'”

This fashion of map is not only new territory for the design workforce, however the narrative workforce as properly. Jurgens-Fyhrie defined that earlier Overwatch 2 maps, similar to Season 2’s Portugal, have required a bit extra exterior considering when linking them to Overwatch 2’s overarching story. Equally, future natural maps that do not function bustling cities and blatant hyperlinks to characters require a bit extra consideration. Nevertheless, these maps do supply up alternatives to delve deep into character’s backstories, as is the case with Mei and Antarctic Peninsula.

“One of many questions that I’ve heard from the general public and have all the time been excited to reply is, ‘Hey, Mei and her co-workers had been frozen for ages. Why did nobody ever come to rescue them?'” Jurgens-Fyhrie mentioned. “It is type of a tragic query, however the reply is Overwatch tried. And that is one of many issues that is so thrilling about this map, you get to see an enormous a part of the story that we have by no means talked about earlier than. And you’ll play throughout that space. You possibly can see the Overwatch Icebreaker ship that attempted to come back and rescue Mei and her workforce however failed. And the individuals there needed to flee as a result of the climate was too insane–they had no selection and Overwatch was disbanded earlier than anybody ever went again there. You possibly can see some hints about what Mei and her workforce had been looking for up there.”

“And perhaps there’s type of a secret,” Jurgens-Fyhrie added with a smile. “Possibly there’s one thing you could find on the map that may inform you one thing much more thrilling in regards to the story to come back.”

With Overwatch 2’s long-awaited PvE function slated to drop later this yr, it is no shock the workforce is ramping up for a giant push in the direction of narrative-focused content material. Nevertheless, this doesn’t suggest they are not investing time into working up some enjoyable new additions for the sport as properly.

Although the workforce finally vetoed placing environmental hazards in Antarctic Peninsula–they thought of it for a while earlier than finally worrying it is likely to be too gimmicky and frustrating–they did add what they known as “environmental bonuses.”

“Penguins had been important to the workforce’s happiness,” Rogers mentioned.

“[And] within the optimistic way forward for Overwatch, penguins can dodge bullets,” Jurgens-Fyhrie added.

Whilst you cannot pet the penguins–though Rogers assured us the workforce tried–you can shoot at them. In case you do, nonetheless, the penguins will dexterously keep away from every bullet and pull off some “Matrix-like” strikes.

As well as, the Antarctic Peninsula map additionally includes a fishing mini-game. “I did not even initially know this made it into the extent, however it did,” Rogers mentioned.

Whereas the mini-game is not strong, gamers can shoot into fishing holes to trigger fish to come back to the floor, thus “fishing.” Rogers added that these fishing holes additionally give gamers an opportunity to have some enjoyable with the sport’s physics engine, however did not elaborate past that.

Rogers additionally revealed that the map has the deepest quantity of snow ever seen on an Overwatch map, which means gamers will be capable to draw designs within the snow. Whereas the artwork director mentioned the workforce had quite a lot of enjoyable with the function, they didn’t state if there have been options in place to forestall extra crude gamers from having too a lot enjoyable with it.

On a separate be aware, the workforce additionally addressed a query involved with the rise of machine studying and AI implementation in gaming. Rogers said the studio doesn’t use AI to assist design ranges, explaining, “Our dev workforce makes the whole lot. It is that polish we search for that comes from the whole lot being handcrafted. An artist or designer has touched each a part of our sport.”

Antarctic Peninsula and all its bulletproof penguins, fish, and new hero quips will hit Overwatch 2 with the beginning of Season 3. The season kicks off on February 7 and can run for about two months.