[Update #2]: Kanezaka is set to launch on January 12 alongside a Hanzo challenge, and perhaps most excitingly, Blizzard appears to be teasing a brand new hero!

[Update]: Overwatch is heavily nerfing Sigma, Wrecking Ball and Ashe, while also buffing Hanzo.

With Overwatch 2 looming ever closer, I must admit I didn't expect Blizzard would release anything more complicated than a seasonal event for the original Overwatch. However, in an announcement that I can only describe as an extremely pleasant surprise, Blizzard has now suddenly revealed and released a brand new free-for-all map onto the test servers!

This new map is called Kanezaka and is positioned right outside the walls of Hanamura! It features a wide variety of different locations, each designed with specific playstyles in mind, as well as plenty of teasers for Overwatch 2 heroes, along with generally adorable things like the cat cafe that stars all of Blizzard's pet cats!

You can get a little bit of a sneak peek at what Kanezaka looks like, as well as how it even came to be, through the recently posted developer update. Have a gander:

While the exact release date hasn't been announced just yet, you can expect Kanezaka to hit the live servers at some point in early January. If you would like to speed the process along, as well as offer Blizzard some much needed feedback, make sure to give the PTR a try and see if anything crazy happens.

Have fun, and here's to hoping we'll get more Overwatch 2 news in the near future as well!