Overwatch 2 devs actually releasing fan-made map as part of Season 4 update

Back in December, 2022, Blizzard called on Overwatch 2 fans to help design a new map as part of a Twitch livestream. Now, four months removed, that very same map is actually making its way into the official game for players around the globe to enjoy.

Shortly after the release of Overwatch 2, a number of developers took to the internet more than ever before to engage with fans in new ways. This led to a series of interactive Twitch streams, one of which saw players chiming in to help design a new map from scratch.

At the time, this ‘Twitch makes Overwatch’ broadcast was thought to be nothing more than a way for the devs to “just have fun” with the community, as Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller put it. However, they did subtly tease the possibility of its addition to the game down the line, if the map was good enough.

Now, four months on from this stream, exactly that is happening. The fan-designed map has been polished up by Blizzard and is set to make its way to Overwatch 2 during Season 4. Though it does come with a catch.

During the December broadcast, fans helped both Keller and Art Director Dion Rogers build a new Control map from the ground up. In natural Twitch fashion, this fan-made creation soon led to chaos as players asked for “death pits, jump pads, and lots of giant fish,” as Blizzard explained.

This mishmash of design elements is now a real thing. Overwatch 2 devs took the initial blueprint from the Twitch stream and rounded it out into a fully-fledged map now known as Talantis.

As a sprawling “underwater lair”, this brand-new design will soon be a playable map in the game. While it won’t be featured in regular quick play or the competitive ladder, fans can expect to find it in the Arcade as a neat celebration of the one-off Twitch stream.

It won’t be around for long, however, as Talantis is only set to appear between April 25 and May 1. So fans looking to test out this experimental battleground, one directly built by fans of the game, you’ll have to get in quick shortly after Season 4 goes live.