Overwatch League locks first map pool for 2020 season

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Say “au revoir” to Paris. The first map pool for the Overwatch League’s 2020 season is set, and the French capital is nowhere to be seen. Popular maps like King’s Row will make a return to the rotation, while maps like Paris and Volskaya Industries were left out.

All five of Overwatch’s control maps are featured in the rotation, which encompasses the first six weeks of the 2020 season. Teams can choose between Ilios, Busan, Lijiang Tower, Oasis, and Nepal. Control maps are played in the tiebreaker round since it’s impossible to have a draw in that mode.

The Assault maps include Hanamura, Horizon Lunar Colony, and Temple of Anubis. Paris and Volskaya Industries aren’t part of the initial map pool and can only be played during the seventh week of competition.

King’s Row, Eichenwalde, and Blizzard World make up the settings for Hybrid game modes. Blizzard excluded Hollywood and Numbani from the first pool. The latter map proved problematic during this year’s postseason play-in tournament; a “game issue” rendered the map unplayable, and Blizzard had to break its own rules to allow the competition to proceed. The map also mysteriously disappeared from the competitive rotation earlier this year.

The escort maps include Junkertown, Havana, and Dorado. Route 66, Rialto, and Watchpoint: Gibraltar won’t be part of the competition. The initial map pool has a short shelf life and will only cover “weeks 1-6 of matches”, OWL senior product director Jon Spector said on a Reddit comment.

The Overwatch League’s 2020 season kicks off on Feb. 8. The current map rotation is scheduled to last until March 21, week seven’s starting date.