Blizzard have today confirmed that any of the maps or characters added to Overwatch after the game’s initial release will be free.
In a video reply to the community, game director Jeff Kaplan said that, despite being proud of their current roster of 21 launch-ready characters, they are already thinking about planning more arenas and characters at some point after Overwatch’s release.
Kaplan explained that Blizzard “have ideas for additional maps and heroes that we’d like to add to the game.” After deliberation over the implementation of content post-release, Kaplan says that Blizzard have decided “the best way to add them to game is to patch them in as free content and not as DLC.” This puts to bed some of the concerns that had been raised over the issue of future Overwatch content.
The game director went on to tell us that Blizzard as of yet they have no currently timetable for the release of new content after the release of Overwatch, and don’t know quite how many of their ideas for the free content will be released over the game’s lifespan. However, Kaplan did tease that some of the post-release heroes have already been hinted at via Easter eggs.
You can watch the whole video address below:
You can look forward to playing Blizzard’s newest title at some point next year on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.