There will be an ‘Overwatch 2’ update at BlizzConline next year

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that players can expect an Overwatch 2 update during next year’s BlizzConline event.

Game director Jeff Kaplan shared the news through a new developer update video, where he touched on the ongoing development of Overwatch 2 and highlighted new additions to Overwatch.

“We know it’s been too long,” Kaplan acknowledged. “We know we’ve been quiet. We still have a ways to go – just to manage expectations – but we’re working extremely hard. We want this game to be great for you, both the live game and the upcoming sequel.”

Watch the developer update below.

He also announced the Kanezaka map, a new free-for-all deathmatch area for Overwatch. The map is being targetted for an “early 2021” release, and will be out by “maybe mid-January at the latest”.

The Kanezaka map was initially designed by a new level designer named Morton for Overwatch 2, but the team liked the map so much that they decided to bring it to full production, and will be adding it to the original Overwatch instead.

The map is set in Japan and includes a seedy nightclub, as well as a cat cafe – which includes nearly all of the Overwatch development team’s real-life cats. The Kanezaka map is being now tested in the game’s public test region (PTR) according to the official Overwatch Twitter account.

Check out a preview of the map below.

✅ Picturesque View ????
✅ Rich History ????
✅ Seedy Nightlcub ????
✅ Cat Cafe ????

What are you waiting for? Kanezaka, Overwatch’s newest Free-For-All map, is now testing on the PTR! pic.twitter.com/sUgbHM7RL6

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 16, 2020