Overwatch 2 devs want game to reflect more real-world events moving forward

Jeremy Gan

Overwatch 2 devs want the game to reflect more real-world events moving forward as Midtown gets a Pride makeover for the latest event. 

Throughout the years since its initial release in 2016, Overwatch has decorated a select few maps in its wide map pool to celebrate real-world events. 

You may find that during Christmas time, Kings Row not only is covered in a blanket of snow, but it is also brimming with the holiday spirit. During Lunar New Year, Lijiang Tower’s sky is peppered with paper lanterns in celebration. 

And in the new Pride Event, the devs have transformed Midtown into the joyous conclusion of a Pride parade. According to the devs, however, this is just the start of what they have in mind.

Every Lunar New Year since 2017, Lijiang Tower’s sky is lit up by paper lanterns.

In an interview Dexerto was able to sit in on, Overwatch Director Aaron Keller explained that Midtown’s Pride makeover was not too similar to their approach when creating Christmas or Halloween events. 

“We wanted Pride to feel the game is reflecting what’s happening in the real world, and we do this multiple times throughout the year,” he said, referencing all the other annual events. 

“People that are playing the game, they can kind of see this reflection of what’s happening in the real world happening in the world of Overwatch, and we thought it was important to carry this forward for pride as well” Keller further explained. 

And he added that perhaps the Pride event could just be the start of further events like Christmas and Halloween to be reflected in Overwatch. 

“So for us, this is the start of building upon this event the same way we’ve built upon a lot of the other events in our game.”

As for what other events we may see in the future, we will have to wait and see. 

About The Author

Jeremy is a writer on the Australian Dexerto team. He studied at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, and graduated with a Bachelors in Journalism. Jeremy mainly covers esports such as CS:GO, Valorant, Overwatch, League of Legends, and Dota 2, but he also leans into gaming and entertainment news as well. You can contact Jeremy at jeremy.gan@dexerto.com or on Twitter @Jer_Gan