March 14, 2018, 2:32 pm | Read time: 4 minutes

Video games are not just about beautiful graphics and engaging gameplay. They aim to appeal to multiple senses simultaneously. That’s why developers invest a lot of money in the right sound design. Only then can they create the right atmosphere for each game. This is especially true for the Overwatch map “Blizzard World,” which is meant to depict an amusement park in the Blizzard game universe. TECHBOOK interviewed Audio Director Scott Lawlor and sound designers Paul Lackey and Tomas Neumann to find out how the team mastered the task of the new map.

TECHBOOK: How did you prepare for working on the map?

Paul Lackey: Most maps start with a design kick-off, where goals, visual highlights, time of day, and various other details are set. The sound team is integrated into the processes from the beginning. This helps us better understand the map and its changes. We examine the location where the map is set and start finding or recording sounds. For “Blizzard World,” we had to think through and record the environment of the individual attractions to create the feeling of walking through an amusement park. We had a lot of fun using nostalgic sounds and music pieces from other Blizzard brands for the different parts of the park.

TECHBOOK: What plans did you have when creating “Blizzard World”?

Tomas Neumann: We design the maps in “Overwatch” as an idealized version of the area we take as inspiration. We want our players to want to travel there. That’s why Eichenwalde is an epic castle complex in the Black Forest, and Oasis, a map set in Iraq, is peaceful, futuristic, and beautifully decorated. “Blizzard World” is our secret wish of what a Blizzard amusement park could look like. We wanted a player to turn a corner and feel like they’re in a completely different game world. That’s why we put a lot of effort into the virtual music system in the park. At the “World of Warcraft” snack stand, you hear the appropriate music. Then you walk along various speakers and hear Diablo music.

TECHBOOK: What does the future of sound design in games look like?

Scott Lawlor: It’s naturally hard to predict the future, but I think it will revolve around reproducing sounds more realistically and three-dimensionally. This can mean various things: better sound reflections of the environment, better reverberation and echo based on the game environment, or 3D sound reproduction using speakers and headphones. In “Overwatch,” we’ve already tried to push the technology on two of these fronts. We’ve created something called “Quad Delay,” which tries to produce the sound that occurs when noises bounce off hard surfaces in the real world. Listen to the weapon sounds in a narrow courtyard compared to a wide cliff landscape in the game and pay close attention to the sounds and the echo of the shots.

Win Great Overwatch Prizes

Blizzard is giving away lots of cool Overwatch prizes exclusively at TECHBOOK. The four lucky winners can look forward to one of the following packages.

Grand Prize

1x Overwatch PC Collector’s Edition (includes a Soldier: 76 figure, nearly 30 cm tall)

1x Blizzard World Poster

1x T-shirt

1x Mini Winston figure

Three More Prize Packages

Each includes:

1x Blizzard World Poster

1x Funko Pop! Reaper figure

1x T-shirt

1x Mini Winston figure

Contest Question

What new method is being used to enhance sound design in “Overwatch”?

A: “Quad Delay”

B: “Double Delay”

Contest Ended

Terms and Conditions

The entry deadline is March 28, 2018. Legal recourse and cash payment are excluded. Only individuals who have sent an email with the correct answer to the question to info@techbook.de are eligible to participate. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Employees of Axel Springer SE, its subsidiaries, and BILD GmbH & Co. KG, as well as their employees, are excluded from participation. Legal recourse is excluded. Participation is only possible from Germany.