Impressive fan-made Overwatch map gets the Blizzard nod of approval
"We'll be in touch soon".
An impressive fan-made Overwatch map has sufficiently dazzled Blizzard's Jeff Kaplan enough to elicit a "we'll be in touch soon".
The Cairo-themed Payload map features an intricately designed hub of buildings and pathways, blending classic Egyptian-inspired architecture and futuristic flourishes, surrounded by a hi-tech cityscape constructed from thematically appropriate obelisk shapes. Not only is it beautiful, and rich in detail, it perfectly captures Overwatch's distinctive art-style.
The fan-built Cairo map, which you can see in the gorgeous, expertly produced flyover video above, is made even more impressive when you consider that it was created entirely by one person - fine arts student and 3D artist Joshua Llorente.
It was built using Unreal Engine 4 and Maya over the course of two months, and is one of several maps designed by Llorente, with others - also viewable on his portfolio page - themed around Shangri-La and a Nepal village, all aping that familiar Overwatch style.
Llorente's initial flyover was posted on the Overwatch reddit group just before the New Year, and quickly drew the eye of - and admiration from - Blizzard's Jeff Kaplan, who responded, "Amazing work! We'll be in touch." Whether that means a job offer is in the pipeline, or a slice of celebratory cake is in the mail, only Llorente and Blizzard know for sure.
Since that initial video was posted, Llorente has created a second version, this time demoing the map from street level. This one is perhaps even more impressive, showing off the incredible attention to detail in Llorente's design. You can watch the video above to see the Cairo map walkthrough in all its ground-level glory.