Will Assault Maps Ever Return to Overwatch 2?

A recent Reddit thread reignited discussions about the complex and frustrating history of Overwatch 2's Assault maps

Overwatch 2 players are largely still satisfied with Assault mode being removed from competitive Overwatch. But they are now asking for Blizzard to bring back the Assault maps reworked for other game modes in a passionate Reddit thread. 

Assault mode had memorable map locations like Horizon Lunar Colony, Temple of Anubis, and Volskaya Industries. While Horizon Lunar Colony was commonly complained about to the point where Blizzard developers took it out of the Assault map pool, this is one of the most important locations in Overwatch lore. It also had a lot of creative elements like a zero-gravity area.

“These maps are nostalgic for a lot of the OW1 players. I hate to see them gone forever in comp,” wrote one fan on Reddit.

Players started suggesting that the Assault maps be reworked into Hybrid or Escort maps. Making Horizon Lunar Colony into an Escort map would allow players to explore even more of the moon-based location where Winston and a group of gorillas led an uprising against scientists who were doing experiments on them.

We Want the Maps Without the Mode

A lot of Overwatch 2 players shared their fond memories of the Assault maps, including making it to Diamond rank on Volskaya or marveling at the scenery in Hanamura. But most players agreed that Assault wasn’t a balanced game mode and the second point was always a source of frustration that nobody misses.

However, players were reminded of how much they dislike Push. This new game mode was introduced in Overwatch 2 in Assault’s place, featuring large maps that players must push a robot through. It has been repeatedly called the most boring and tedious play mode since it was released.

For a while, players were complaining that Push was showing up far too much compared to other game modes, forcing developers to look into their game mode algorithm. It was clear at that point that players were frustrated and bored of the game mode.

Luckily, there are some hints that old Assault maps may make their return someday. In an interview with BlizzPlanet, Art Director Dion Rogers discussed the return of some fan favorites like Hanamura and Anubis.

Locations like Hanamura and Temple of Anubis could return in #Overwatch2 🏯

When asked about remaking assault maps, Dion Rogers said that the team hasn't figured out how, but they aim to get the locations back into other core game modes.

📰 Read More: https://t.co/F6xpDDhfoE pic.twitter.com/mrXyMxaCBW

— Overwatch Cavalry (@OWCavalry) February 24, 2023

“Hanamura is one of my most favorite memories of playing Overwatch. We definitely intend to reuse these aesthetics,” Rogers said.

Unfortunately, developers were not sure how to implement the maps just yet. They discussed having a Payload version of Hanamura or a Control version of Anubis. But the team has “really deep” plans that may take a while.

“But from our perspective, we intend to reuse that look in some way,” Rogers revealed. “You can play those modes during our like events and you know, the arcade, if you want to see them again. But to get them back into a core game mode, that’s our goal.”