Blizzard Seems to Have Pulled a New Overwatch Map Amid Lawsuit Controversy - July 23, 2021 at 12:04PM

Blizzard seems to have pulled a new Overwatch map reveal amid controversy related to a recent lawsuit.

Eurogamer (citing a since-archived piece by Dexerto) reports that a new deathmatch map was seemingly set to be added to the Overwatch Public Test Region update yesterday, July 22.

However, Blizzard has seemingly pulled the announcement after a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, discrimination and more was made public. Following a two-year investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the state filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard on Tuesday. You can read the full details of the lawsuit right now.

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The new map, named Malevento, would send players into a quaint Italian town built upon high walls at the edge of a countryside vista. Images of Malevento show it to be set during daylight hours, with players battling through its sun-baked cobbled streets. The map’s romanesque architecture appears to make use of narrow archways and looming buildings to create tight passageways and wider open areas for combat around a secret Talon base. Meanwhile, bright orange rooftops are shown to be scattered with colorful green foliage that adds character to the vibrant map.

The new Overwatch map was apparently set to be released on August 17. However, since the allegations, the company has halted all social media communications and it is unclear whether this will impact any upcoming releases.

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Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN.