“The energy and excitement is just off the chain, especially after the past two years with so many developers working at home. “It is a very special experience to see the Toronto esports team playing on the Toronto map in Toronto, right on their home turf” said Annunziata. Organizers expected some 4,000 fans over the four days of the tournament.įor Annunziata, it was a rare chance to see Toronto’s entry in the Overwatch League play on its hometown map. The Dallas Fuel won Sunday defeating the San Francisco Shock, with the hometown Toronto Defiant coming third at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Initially stationed at Blizzard headquarters in Irvine, Calif., he and his wife have since relocated to Plattsburgh, N.Y., to be closer to family.Īnnunziata, 32, was in town to attend the Toronto Defiant Summer Showdown, Canada’s first-ever Overwatch League tournament. Because at Blizzard one of core beliefs is game play first.”Īnnunziata, who spent two semesters in Montreal as part of a study abroad program affiliated with Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., has been with Blizzard since February 2018. “So we do a whole lot of work to layer those things in without them being distracting. “As an environment artist, yeah you want it to look beautiful but it really does have to just be a backdrop for the action within the game,” said Annunziata. The Toronto map features a pair of streetcars that offer both local colour and cover.
High ground and cover are important in the game, allowing for attackers to rain havoc and defenders to escape damage. The game, which features a roster of heroes with a wide array of different abilities, offers plenty of nooks and crannies not to mention different routes to the objective. He also consulted other Canadians in the Blizzard ranks about other possible Toronto icons to include.ĭesigning an Overwatch map is more than cherry-picking local landmarks. While originally from Vermont, Annunziata knows the city well from working in Toronto for Torn Banner Studios from 2013 to 2018. Lucas Annunziata, a senior environment artist with Blizzard, designed the map. Gamers will battle it out against a backdrop of the CN Tower, City Hall and its iconic ice rink and Toronto sign, and the distinctive train tracks leading to Union Station among other local landmarks. 4, features a futuristic Toronto map called New Queen Street. The multiplayer first-person shooter from Activision Blizzard, slated for release Oct. TORONTO - Gamers are in for a distinctly Canadian experience when they saddle up for “Overwatch 2.”
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