Overwatch Post-Release Maps, Heroes to be Free, Blizzard Confirms

Video game giant Blizzard confirms that its new first-person shooter "Overwatch" will not be charging players for new maps and heroes after the game is released.

Game Rant reports that while Blizzard had been mysteriously silent after their big Blizzcon event about the additional content, game director Jeff Kaplan let the news out that all future maps and characters will be free to download.

Kaplan states that the decision to make the content free for download came from Blizzard not wanting to segment the "Overwatch" gaming community. According to Kaplan, the game focuses on the multiplayer aspect first, and making players pay for content will hurt the overall longevity of the game.

Other companies have been taking the same path as that of Blizzard of late, as popular titles such as "Rainbow Six" and "Halo 5" have been making maps and similar content free to download instead of charging players for microtransactions. This business model has been particularly popular with players, and it could set the trend for games moving forward.

According to Game Spot, "Overwatch" will retail at about US$60 upon its release, and though first thought as a PC exclusive game, Blizzard did confirm at Blizzcon that the game will be made available for both the XboxOne and Play Station 4.

With regards to the content itself, Kaplan said that several of the heroes have already been hinted through several Easter eggs hidden throughout the game. It will be up to the players to find them and determine which heroes will actually be in the game.

However, Blizzard has stated that the company is not yet sure on how many new characters will be added to the game over the course of time, and the video game developer will also be patching or updating any character it determines to be "over powered."

Currently, the game is in its invite-only beta-testing stage, but those who have been able to secure a beta key have stated that "Overwatch" is a great game with lots of potential. The game has been heralded as one of the most anticipated games for 2016, and pre-sales figures have already passed Blizzard's original projections.

The "Overwatch" beta is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 10, and Blizzard seems to be proud of the work it has done this time. The gaming developer states that over 900,000 games of "Overwatch" have been played from when the beta testing started in October.

"Overwatch" has a tentative release time of Spring 2016 and will be available for PC, XboxOne and Play Station 4.