A small change in Overwatch 2 encapsulates a more hopeful future

polygon.com:

Regardless of how Overwatch players might currently feel about changes to heroes like Mercy, Symmetra, and Orisa in Overwatch 2’s ongoing beta, you have to respect one of Blizzard’s reworks: the benches in the game’s New York City-inspired map.

The benches that players pass by in Overwatch2’s version of Grand Central Terminal are rather simple set dressing, but they’ve been altered since the game’s original beta, based on player feedback. Those benches are now an indicator the hopeful future of the Overwatch fiction, according to the game’s narrative designer.

Earlier this month, Overwatch fan ClearTogether pointed out the problem with the game’s New York benches, as seen in a previous beta version of Overwatch 2, which mimic a style of hostile architecture designed to discourage and restrict homeless people from sleeping on them.

been thinking about this since the beta so I'm just going to say it since no one else has... The anti-homeless architecture of the benches in Midtown makes me super bummed. Benches like this are designed specifically to make homeless miserable. pic.twitter.com/jXyddzRgyR

(While these types of benches are common in New York City subway stations, most of the bench seating at the real-world Grand Central in Manhattan have been removed.)

But as ClearTogether noted in a tweet on Wednesday, those benches have since been updated for Overwatch 2’s current beta. Blizzard clearly took note of the criticism and responded. “This was great feedback,” said Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie, lead narrative designer and writer for Overwatch, in a response to ClearTogether on Twitter.

Thank you SO much to the Overwatch team for deciding to change this!!! Its honestly overall a small change but it goes a long way. ♥ You