New Overwatch Rio de Janeiro Map: Inspired By CS:GO’s Favela

Overwatch 2 slowly comes to life with more developmental updates announced by Blizzard. The new version brings new maps, game modes, and heroes to the game. Although Blizzard Entertainment has yet to reveal the full details of the game, the talk of the Overwatch community today is the upcoming Rio de Janerio map which has reportedly drawn inspiration from the Brazilian maps and locations of Valve’s Counter-Strike series.

About Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is a popular seaside location in Brazil. In real life, it’s the second most populous area in the country as it offers authentic nature settings. In Overwatch 2, Rio de Janeiro is different. The map features a futuristic look of Brazil around the period of post-Overwatch.

The city experienced financial meltdown following the Omnic Crisis, so it remains in its early stages of growth and recovery. The fictional mayor of the city received two offers of developmental support. One is from Calado, a businessman based in the city. The other is from Vishkar Corporation, a multinational corporate entity based in southern India.

The mayor turned down Vishkar’s offer and chose Calado. After announcing his decision, the Calado tower was burned down, so the mayor was forced to partner with Vishkar. The plot began to complicate after that as Vishkar broke its promise and imposed controls on the residents of Rio de Janeiro.

As Rio de Janeiro becomes trapped in the hands of Vishkar, Overwatch characters such as Lucio, Tracer, Mei, and Reinhardt will come to the rescue. When the map opens, players of Overwatch 2 begin their journey in the Battle of Rio.

Key Locations:

Bar do Peixuxa
Estádio das Rãs
Calado building (destroyed)
Office of the Mayor
Sabirila Lanches

Overwatch Inhabitants:

Mr. Calado
Lúcio Correia dos Santos
Mayor of Rio
Rosa

The Overwatch community started recognizing the map’s similarities to Counter-Strike’s Brazilian locations when an insider related to Blizzard’s Senior Environment Artist, Thiago Klafke, suggested that the influential CS:GO map will be used as a reference in Overwatch 2. The structure and design of Overwatch 2’s Rio de Janeiro’s map have similar elements to CS:GO’s custom bomb defusal map Favela.