InOverwatch 2, Season 4 will bring a new, community-designed map called Talantis, which was made with viewer input during a Twitch stream. It remains to be seen, however, if this map will suffer the same fate as so much other content in the game and be removed eventually, or if it will remain as something that players can continue to enjoy even after it leaves the spotlight. At face value, it would make absolute sense to leave Talantis inOverwatch 2.
It is no secret thatOverwatch 2developers struggle with communication. This has often led to misunderstandings and differences in expectations between the player base and the development team, particularly in areas such as competitive matchmaking and the addition and removal of content and features. However, the developers have been making renewed efforts to improve in these areas, and the new map Talantis is a significant example of these efforts. Namely, it represents a collaborative effort between the developers and players to add something new to the game. With that said, the map will only be playable in the Arcade mode for less than one week - April 25 through May 1 – and there has been nothing to indicate that it will make a return beyond that point.
RELATED:What Makes Overwatch 2’s Talantis Map So Special
Overwatch 2 Events Cycle
This is a cycle that repeats often inOverwatch 2: something new will be added for a limited time as an event, the player base will enjoy it as a refreshing break from the usual limited content that the game has to offer, and then it will be removed without giving players the option to continue enjoying it. A recent example of this from Season 3 was the competitive mystery heroes game mode, which was received quite well, but to the surprise of many, was no longer a playable option at the beginning of Season 4. Going beyond events, even, there were many who complained aboutOverwatch 2removing original content, with no guarantees that it would be restored in the future.
The issue here lies not in the mere fact that events are temporary, but rather in the fact that sometimes it would make more sense to keep some things asreplayable content inOverwatch 2, and that many players feel as if too much has already been removed from the game. Obviously events are fun and special, but not all content should be featured simply as temporary events.
Even if the implementation of events is based on an engagement philosophy to keep things fresh, the reality is that players are often left feeling disappointed or estranged when they do not have the freedom to revisit content outside the window of that scheduled event. If this limitation is applied to Talantis as well, then not only would this most likely lead to disappointment, but also it would make Talantis the only map not usable intheOverwatch 2workshop mode, and perhaps most importantly this would be akin to an “event-ization” of the very collaborative effort which led to the map’s creation.
Overwatch 2 Developers and Players Working Together
In light of this, it would make more sense to instead memorialize the map, and with it, the developers' good will toward the community, by at least leaving the barebones-yet-charming map forworkshop codes and custom games, or perhaps even keeping it in the Arcade mode rotation.
This is not to say that the authenticity of the developers' attempts to engage with the community necessarily hinge on making Talantis a permanently playable asset, as it would be unfair to make such an argument. However, in the eyes of many, keeping the map playable on some level beyond its designated event would signify the developers' efforts toincorporateOverwatch 2community feedbackand permanently add new content instead of removing it.
Overwatch 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
