Map pools will be removed starting in Overwatch 2 Season 4. Blizzard also addressed the frequency of Overwatch 2 Push maps.
Overwatch 2 will remove map pools starting in Season 4. In a recent blog, game director Aaron Keller said that the FPS does not have enough maps to justify them. Read on for details.
Overwatch 2 maps update
The original intention for map pools was to make each season less stale for players. Keller noted that the game also doesn't have enough maps to justify the pools and that the impact of them on seasonal identity is low.
"Additionally, the cadence for maps leaving and returning to the pool didn’t align with the time it took to make changes to the maps," Keller said.
Gibraltar, for example, was supposed to come back in Overwatch 2 Season 4. However, after playtesting, the deadline for Gibraltar was called into question.
"There's the possibility that we bring map pools back in the far future when we have a lot more maps in the game," Keller added in the blog. If Overwatch 2 map pools do come back, then they would likely rotate at a faster rate and potentially every week.
Map frequency and Overwatch 2 Push maps
It's a popular theory that the frequency of new Overwatch 2 maps and game modes is higher, Keller said. He added that there isn't any special code that makes one map come up more often than another. However, it should be noted that the Overwatch 2 map pool is not entirely random.
"We have been looking into this based off of player reports and there is a detail of the matchmaking system that does elevate Push maps a bit," Keller explained. The Overwatch 2 matchmaker attempts to avoid players getting the same map and the same game mode.
"Since Push has fewer maps than other game modes this could cause those maps to come up more frequently than game modes with more maps," he continued. "We’re looking into a way to mitigate this, targeted for a future season. This is even more important considering that we have another new game mode with new maps scheduled for a seasonal release later this year."
Spawn points for maps like Gibraltar will also be addressed, according to Keller. The Overwatch 2 team is looking into changes in level design to fix this for several maps. However, this might open new flanking routes for the team on offense.
"So, we’re talking about solutions that don’t necessitate map changes. This probably won’t hit Season 4, but it’s in the works," Keller said.
That's all for now. Stay tuned on Esports.gg for more Overwatch 2 news and updates.