Seal of approval
Valve’s team-based shooter Team Fortress 2 isn’t exactly the most grim, serious game. While it centers around mercs fighting each other for control of objectives, its tone has certainly been light-hearted. And that carries over to the latest, community-driven update that brought an adorable seal into Team Fortress 2.
As part of the Summer 2023 update, which is seeing Team Fortress 2 hit some new player count records, there are 14 new maps to play. One of these, Selbyen, is a Player Destruction map with a simple objective: be the team that feeds the most fish to the seal.
While carnage ensues, players can pick up and give buckets of fish to the seal that will routinely hop through the center of the map. Really, it should be obvious how the fanbase has reacted to an adorable plump seal hopping its way to the ocean. Everyone loves it.
There has, of course, already been fan art of the adorable oceanic mammal.
https://twitter.com/_AltoArcadevere/status/1679507150950006784
As many have concluded, the seal is a fantastic addition to Team Fortress 2. Thankfully, the seal is invincible to all the explosives and ballistics flying around the arena, too. The seal is a vibe one can aspire to, honestly; peaceful, cheerful, vibing, in its lane.
https://twitter.com/heavyfortres/status/1679304909437501440
The seal update
So yes, players have taken to calling the Team Fortress 2 Summer 2023 update the “seal update.” It’s worth noting that this is a community addition to the game; while Valve put out the call and selected the new additions, Selbyen is a map created by TF2 community creators FGD5, Lo-fi Longcat, Rhamkin, bakscratch, and Zythe. You can see their Steam Workshop page here, where players are congratulating them and praising the seal.
There’s a bunch of other neat stuff in the Summer 2023 update too, aside from the adorable seal. 14 new community maps, including some in the asymmetrical VSH (Versus Saxton Hale) mode, are in. There are also new community-made taunts in the store and 25 new community-contributed items in the Summer 2023 Cosmetic Case, as well as some War Paints and Unusual effects. It’s a lot for an old game. But it’s also a testament to how the TF2 community has stuck with it over the years.
