Blizzard teases major Overwatch 2 changes in new developer livestream

Overwatch 2 Season 17 draws near, and Blizzard Entertainment just announced a special livesteam featuring some game developers. Here's what you need to know about it plus what to expect going into the new season.

The new Overwatch 2 developer livestream will kick off on June 20 at 11 a.m. PT, and it will have the Overwatch 2 team talk about map voting, reworks, and the upcoming Aatlis map.

According to Blizzard Entertainment's official post on X, the two key folks sharing more information will be Alec Dawson and Jorge Murillo. While Dawson is the game's associate game director, Murillo is a senior level designer.

In terms of where to watch this livestream, it will be available on Twitch and YouTube. You can also tune in via the embedded video below.

As noted, the Overwatch 2 developer livestream will go into map voting, reworks, and Aatlis. We know that the new map voting feature will arrive on June 24, coinciding with the Overwatch 2 Season 17 start date. According to Blizzard Entertainment, map voting will debut in the Quick Play and Competitive game modes, too.

In terms of how map voting works, you'll get to select from three random maps upon entering role queue. Then, each votes will add a 1-in-10 chance to that map's odds. The new feature will hide every player's battle tags and team chat as well. The leaver penalty will also apply at the start of map voting.

As for the reworks, Dawson and Murillo will likely talk about the Suravasa and New Junk City maps. These are Flashpoints maps in Overwatch 2. The Suravasa and New Junk City reworks themselves will arrive in the latter half of Overwatch 2 Season 17, according to a previous announcement.

Speaking of Flashpoint maps, Aatlis will soon enter Overwatch 2 as one of them. So far, we know that it will be set in Morocco. It will also have lush gardens and resort-style areas. Below are some screenshots of Aatlis, as provided by Blizzard Entertainment.

Here's the list of everything that will happen in Overwatch 2 Season 17, including the aforementioned talking points.

That's all for now. Are you excited about Season 17? Stick around on esports.gg for more Overwatch 2 news and updates!