Blizzard interested in releasing Overwatch map editor

In the age of Halo’s Forge and Warcraft III’s World Editor, it only makes sense that Blizzard would release a map editor for Overwatch.

And they likely will, according to Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan. An Overwatch map editor is on Blizzard’s “long-term road map” for the game, Kaplan said, but it’ll be a “very long road.”

“We are extremely open-minded about releasing a map editor for Overwatch someday,” Kaplan wrote on the Overwatch forums. “But because Overwatch was made with a brand new engine, this is not a small task or one which can happen any time soon.”

Kaplan added that Blizzard is passionate about its fan-made content, reassuring fans that the map editor will come one day. And there’s no reason to doubt that: Within its first year, Blizzard has continued to support player-created game modes, adding the server browser in early February for added custom game optimization.

Blizzard’s Warcraft III and its World Editor is responsible for sparking one of the most popular multiplayer online battle arena games, Dota 2. Mashing together Warcraft III’s world with a StarCraft-inspired map, users created Defense of the Ancients, or DotA, in 2003. Likely the most popular fan-created mod, DotA first fielded tournaments in large venues, like BlizzCon, and expanded once again when developer Valve Corporation acquired the rights to develop Dota 2.

Customization is ingrained in Blizzard’s philosophy—and Overwatch’s server browser is just the beginning. Just give it time.

“There are many challenges ahead of us and it will be a very long road before our editor can be made available to the public,” Kaplan said.