One of the maps that has been inOverwatchsince launch is Hanamura, which is an Assault-type map where one team has to defend two points, and another team tries to capture those points. Hanamura is notable for having a first point that is not too difficult to take control of, but a second point that is very difficult for the attacking team to capture. However, it seems as though Hanamura may have once been a very different kind of map.
AnOverwatchfan who goes by the name Owlero on Reddit took the camera out of bounds and discovered a road leading to a building that looks an awfully lot like it would house a payload. That road then cuts through Hanamura, leading some fans to speculate that the map was originally going to be a Payload map instead of an Assault map. Others think that this detail was just put into place by Blizzard designers to decorate the map’s backgrounds.
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Whether or not theOverwatchHanamura mapwas ever meant to be a Payload map is up for debate until Blizzard itself clarifies the issue. However, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if the map went through some significant changes during development. After all, there were other aspects ofOverwatchthat changed quite a bit from concept to the point that they were actually added to the game.
Take the newest hero, for example. Some of the abilities that belong totank hero Sigmawere originally intended to be used by Mauga. Mauga, meanwhile, is reportedly still in the works forOverwatchas a new hero, though no official release details have been made available at the time of this writing.
While Mauga was still coming toOverwatchat some point in the future the last we heard anything official about the character, a new rumor making the rounds may throw a wrench in those plans (if it’s true). A Blizzard leaker named Metro_OW on Twitter has suggested thatOverwatchmay be done releasing new heroes. If that’s the case, it’s possible Mauga is being saved forOverwatch 2, which itself is rumored to be announced at BlizzCon 2019 on November 1.
BlizzCon 2019will offer some more clarification, and maybe we’ll even learn more about existingOverwatchcharacters and maps at the show, like Hanamura. Fans will just have to tune in to find out.
Overwatchis out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
