Overwatch 2 removed hostile architecture from new map at fan request

image of non-hostile benches in overwatch 2 match
The "before" image of benches in Overwatch 2. (via @cleartogether on Twitter) (Image credit: via @cleartogether on Twitter)

Blizzard has made a notable change to one of its new Overwatch 2 maps thanks to player feedback.

As spotted by Polygon, Twitter user ClearTogether pointed out the use of hostile architecture in Midtown—a New York-inspired map being introduced in Overwatch 2. The first beta had the map dotted with sectioned benches, a common structure used to deter homeless people from sleeping on them. "Overwatch being an 'aspirational universe,' I just find it depressing at worse and out-of-place at best," ClearTogether had tweeted about the map decor in early June.

Now, in the game's second beta, those benches have been altered. ClearTogether followed up on Wednesday, tweeting "thank you SO much to the Overwatch team for deciding to change this!! It's honestly overall a small change but goes a long way." Lead narrative designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie called it "great feedback," adding that "'how we hope the world will be' is a big part of our story dev."

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It's not the only alteration the Overwatch team has recently made in an attempt to distance itself from crappy things happening in the real world. Last year, damage hero McCree received a name change after his namesake was dismissed from Blizzard for his involvement in the infamous "Cosby suite" group chats. 

Of course, Blizzard still has a long way to go. Less hostile benches don't exactly make allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment go away overnight. Unless you're Activision Blizzard, conducting an investigation into Activision Blizzard, finding that there's no evidence of any wrongdoing at Activision Blizzard.

Mollie Taylor
Features Producer

Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade.