As a Portuguese person, this is probably one of the most important and coolest maps that I have worked on for the Overwatch franchise. I have had a hand in every single map that we have built, in one way or another. I wanted to apply everything that I have learned during the past decade working on this game, and bring in the vibrant and cozy streets that I grew up around. I led the team through the process of map building for this richly themed competitive shooter.

To ensure the success of this map, it was important to involve Art very early on with Level Design. This allowed us to truly bring in the unique feeling of the narrow Portuguese streets and the traditional flavor of the architecture. The map was designed to be fun to play and have beautiful composition, even from its inception stages (Blockout Design).

Like all Overwatch maps, this one is divided into three larger sub-themes. The historical center in the middle showcases recognizable architectural elements, such as the tower (which we have taken some stylization liberties with, like everything else). The traditional residential area and classical architecture style where the spawn rooms are located make up the other two sub-themes.

For both gameplay and art, it was important to uniquely theme every single interior in the game. This means that every restaurant, shop, bakery, and so on, has its own unique theme and set dressing. Even just walking around the map should feel like a touristic experience that has its own story beats and pacing.

For a little more information on the making of the art, design and audio experience of the map please check out the blog post: https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/overwatch/23865963/voyage-to-esperanca-a-portuguese-city-built-on-tradition-brilliance-and-hope

Extra credits to the very talented Blizzard Team 4 environment team.
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