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Overwatch is getting a huge update today with over 100 items and a new map

Overwatch is getting a huge update today with over 100 items and a new map

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Welcome to Blizzard World

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Blizzard’s colorful team-shooter Overwatch is getting a big update today. That includes a new map, the theme-park inspired “Blizzard World,” which was first announced at Blizzcon back in November. The new level is essentially an amusement park based on all of the developer’s properties, with everything from a Hearthstone tavern to a Diablo crypt to do battle in. “Blizzard World” is available for all players now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Perhaps even more exciting is a massive new cosmetic update, which introduces over 100 new items into the game, including a number of very impressive-looking character skins. Mech-equipped tank D.Va is getting a new look that turns her into a giant robotic cat, while Pharah has a new ancient Egypt-themed get-up. The new content features updates for all 26 characters in the game; in addition to skins, there are also new icons, sprays, and emotes to unlock.

As with almost all content in the game, you can’t purchase the new skins directly. (The one exception is the recently released Overwatch League team skins.) Instead, you’ll unlock them by purchasing loot boxes, which offer a selection of four randomly selected collectible items. Loot boxes have become a controversial topic of late, thanks to Star Wars Battlefront II, but Blizzard has largely been able to avoid the internet’s rage by only offering up cosmetic items that are optional and don’t influence the game at all.

Today’s update is one of the biggest yet for the game, which is approaching its second anniversary in May. Overwatch currently has an estimated 35 million players, while in May, Blizzard claimed that the game had earned more than $1 billion. Earlier this month, Blizzard kicked off an ambitious new e-sports adventure that aims to turn the Overwatch League into the next big professional sport.