Following a teaser from earlier this week that hinted at the possibility of revisiting Winston's old stomping grounds, Blizzard has released an official preview for Overwatch's next upcoming map, the Horizon Lunar Colony on the Moon. Check out the video below:
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Despite initial speculation that the update would be centered around the arrival of a new hero, Overwatch's latest update instead seems have set its sights skyward... or Moonward, or something.
The new map is already available on the public-test realm (PTR) where players have already begun to playtest it - recording of course their own feedback and media elements in doing so. Some of these recordings have already flooded the community forums, showcasing a number of smaller details that didn't make the patch notes. For example, players will be able to actually interact with the telescope featured in the above trailer.
In a follow-up video released over the studio's official YouTube channel, Overwatch Director Jeff Kaplan has provided some additional insight into the update.
Apparently the Moon will include a low-gravity element - a hallmark of many first-person shooters since the genre's inception - that will be made available in custom game modes for players to fiddle around with. Kaplan also expanded on the setting itself, stating that although players would have access to both internal and external locations set around the colony, the oxygen-dependent heroes would have no trouble breathing "for some magical reason."
The video ended with a slightly forced reference to the Alien franchise, leaving the community with no hint or confirmation related to the rumored Hammond. The inclusion of a new hero had never yet been officially tied to the Moon of course, though particularly observant fans had connected an earlier comment from Jeff Kaplan to the recent teaser.
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The associated blog post for this new map has also included a handful of new balance changes for Overwatch, among which are buffs for McCree and Reaper and a slight alteration to Roadhog's secondary fire.
For more information related to Overwatch, check out the game's official website for access to community forums and developer updates, or follow the game's Twitter account.
