Continuing the trend of being absolutely amazing towards the Overwatch community, Game Director Jeff Kaplan has released yet another Developer Update discussing upcoming features, hero and map additions, balance changes, and community concerns. Most importantly for all you Symmetra players out there, Kaplan has officially confirmed that Symmetra is currently undergoing a rework in other to make her more than a "first point defender"!
If you're interested in watching the full ~14 minute video you can find it embedded right below, but if you're just interested in the short version I'll also include my brief summary. Anyway, here's the video:
And here's my summary of all the important talking points Jeff Kaplan went over:
Minor balance changes
• Widowmaker's scope speed is being increased.
• Genji can no longer dash through Junkrat's trap.
• Junkrat's ultimate activation time has been increased.
• All of these changes are currently available on the PTR (Public Test Realm), so you can test them right now if you wish.
Symmetra
• Her changes are most likely going to take a while given that they aren't just changing a few numbers.
• The Overwatch team is not looking to make her into a healer, but are considering moving her into the Defense category to avoid further confusion.
• The changes are aimed at making her useful besides the "first point defense".
• Expect these changes at some point in November, but don't be surprised at any delays.
Spectator mode
• You will be able to bookmark certain camera locations and easily switch to them on will.
• You will be able to focus your camera on certain player, and even if you switch cameras they will all still follow that player's actions.
• A new camera is being added - its always focused on the objective.
• The team is working on making the cameras more steady and easier to follow.
New heroes
• The team is currently working on numerous new heroes.
• One hero is very far along and "will see the light of day sooner than later" - Most likely Sombra, especially since her name literally translates to "shadow".
• A currently unannounced hero prototype is looking very promising. Its currently still in its early stages, so if it does appear you can expect it early next year.
New maps
• They are adding artwork for a brand new map. Its very far along, so you can expect to see it in the near future, though no date has been given.
• There is a second map that's currently in the prototype stage, so its probably going to be a while before it sees the light of day. It will use a pre-existing game mode.
• A whole bunch of new maps and game modes are currently being tested, though they are still early in development.
• New game modes are being actively worked upon.
Random
• The team is working on making the eSports scene a much more exciting place, though no details have been given just yet.
• Numerous QOL (quality of life) changes are being worked on, though once again, no details.
• The upcoming Halloween update hasn't been mentioned, though we know for certain its coming given that numerous voice lines have already been datamined. My favorite is Genji's: "My Halloween costume? Cyborg ninja!"
And there you have it. A whole bunch of new and exciting features are heading to Overwatch in the near (and not so near) future! Personally, I'm the most excited about all the new Halloween skins and costumes, so here's to hoping those won't be as stupidly grindy as the Summer Games ones.
Either way, its good to see that Blizzard not only cares about keeping the community in the loop, but are also well aware of what needs to be changed and how. That is quite rare among developers these days, and that includes some of the other Blizzard departments!