14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Blizzard is announcing that a new Overwatch patch is now live, introducing a new map for gamers to enjoy and wiping progress for all player career profiles, although this move will not affect levels, earned rewards or matchmaking.
The studio is also implementing a wide range of fixes and balance improvements to its title, most of them based on the feedback that the player base has been delivering during the past few weeks.
The new map for Overwatch is called Ilios, depicting a Mediterranean town in the Aegean Sea, with the developer adding, "It is the ideal vacation stop for people looking for a place to relax, or for those interested in exploring the ruins scattered at the top of the island, where many artifacts and relics of the ancient world have been recently unearthed."
Blizzard also says that it has tweaked all the main maps to improve placement of health packs, and payload size has also been changed to enhance movement for all heroes.
Numbani has art improvements while Temple of Anubis receives a new route to get to the second capture point and a wider temple gate.
A full list of all the changes made by the new Overwatch patch can be seen by clicking on the button at the end of this article, and Blizzard says it includes more kill cam functionality and tweaked hero abilities.
Launch date is set for May 24, and an open beta is also coming
The title is supposed to arrive on the PC, the Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4, and Blizzard probably plans to offer some more updates for the closed testing period before opening up the title to a larger number of players.
The open beta will debut on March 5 and will last until March 9, and gamers will be able to use all the 21 heroes featured in the title, with access to all the maps and modes.
Gamers who are placing a pre-order will be able to play starting May 3 and will also have a chance to invite other players to show what Overwatch has to offer.
Blizzard is launching its team-based shooter for full price rather than using the free-to-play model that Multiplayer Online Battle Arena experiences usually employ, and the company says that it has an extensive post-launch plan that includes free access to maps and heroes as well as balance tweaks.