Overwatch has received some mystery updates in its PTR and main client over the past few hours and that has many fans asking questions. Might Sombra be releasing sooner than expected? Are Arcade Mode and Oni Genji coming first? Let’s look at the evidence.
Talk of the updates first began on the Overwatch subreddit on Friday when user Knarz97 noticed a background download of about 2 GB within the main client. Since then, the post has received well over 200 upvotes for approval, and that means others are noticing it too. Without data mining to uncover the patch’s secrets, we’re only left with questions.
The only things left to speculate about are some of Blizzard’s more recent announcements from the BlizzCon show floor last week. Namely, the featured additions included the Oni Genji skin tied to Heroes Of The Storm, the brand new Arcade Mode and, of course, Sombra. The prevailing theory is that at least one of those trio of reveals will soon be made public and that the 2 GB patch has arrived to make room for it.
To make matters even more interesting, however, Overwatch’s main client isn’t the only facet of the game to get new content. While much smaller, a public test realm patch of about 200 MB has been published too. Based on size alone, it’s fair to say those are probably just bug fixes or small tweaks, but it’s always possible for a slight nerf or buff to sneak in too. We’ve seen those kinds of changes routinely come through the PTR.
Unfortunately, because the Overwatch team and Blizzard as a whole have long been the masters of creative deception, it’s hard to establish a concrete pattern for how they operate. The Oni Genji skin makes a lot of sense because it’s a fairly harmless addition tied to an event that begins on Nov. 15. The patches could include Sombra or Arcade, but they may be sitting on the servers for a while too. September’s Eichenwalde update was posted two whole weeks before being published. On the other hand, the DLC character Ana was in PTR for just one week before release. The dates are so scattered that you’d almost think it was intentional!
Whatever these updates contain, it’s reasonable to think some form of new content might go live in the coming days, however. After all, Overwatch will be free on all supported platforms from Nov. 18 through Nov. 21. What better way to get people amped to give Overwatch a try than to introduce a new mode or character during that time? Without data mining, that’s mere speculation on our part, though.
Overwatch is available now on PS4, Xbox One and PC. If you haven’t already, check out our guide for earning a free Genji skin and nine loot boxes a week!
What do you think is in these updates? Are Sombra and Arcade Mode on the horizon? Tell us in the comments section!
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