- The company revealed the map at the Overwatch League Grand Finals 2023
- It features three points, all promoting different playstyles
- Samoa will arrive with the release of Overwatch 2’s Season 7 next week
After many months of fans begging Blizzard to add something new to the Control game mode, the company has revealed a new map called Samoa.
Blizzard Unveils New Map
Overwatch 2’s Season 7 will be released next week and Blizzard has promised exciting new things to come. Among these is a much-requested revival of the Control game mode, with the company preparing to release a new map, which was recently revealed at the Overwatch League Grand Finals 2023.
Blizzard seems to be trying to shift away from PvE and devote more resources to PvP content. Although newer game modes such as Push and Flashpoint modes have certainly had a mixed reception, with many preferring the classic modes that carried over from the first Overwatch, the company seems to finally be hearing the players’ requests.
Samoa, the new Control map should be released on October 10 and will feature three points for capture, the first one being aptly named Beach, as it’s situated on the oceanside. Players will have to fight amongst small villas and huts and use them for cover, while the point itself is sunken into the map. This gives attackers options to get at the people defending the point and also makes players run away from it when they capture it to find cover between the buildings.
The second point called Downtown, provides a much less open map. Fitting for the name, it places players in a densely built-up environment and funnels them through packed streets into a large, wide-open point with a large tower in the middle. According to the Overwatch 2 devs, the structure was inspired a bit by Numbani. This can be seen easily, considering both maps have a similar approach to verticality and narrow passageways.
Volcano is the third and final point of Samoa. It’s the most open one of the three and gives players a lot more options to fight each other at larger ranges. Volcano also sports a big lava pit lining the control point, which Lucio players would like, considering they can push enemies into its fiery depths.
Hopefully for Blizzard, the addition of this map to the fan-favorite mode will make up for the recent problems the game has been having. During its anniversary celebrations, Overwatch 2 payers were unable to get credits from the event. Blizzard promised they will compensate fans for the issue, but many were left somewhat unhappy, as the bug itself was not actually fixed.
But some players are now hoping that the different playstyles that Samoa offers will make Control more interesting again. The map will arrive on October 10 with the launch of Season 7.
