Today at Gamescom in Germany, Blizzard revealed that the first new post-launch map is coming to Overwatch called Eichenwalde, which is a medieval-looking castle and surrounding village located in – appropriately – Stuttgart, Germany.
It also has a backstory related to the Omnic Crisis, according to the official description:
The site of one of the most famous battles during the Omnic Crisis, it was here that the leader of the Crusaders, Balderich von Alder, and a handful of his best soldiers made a last stand against an advancing automaton army. Outnumbered and outgunned, they were ultimately slain during the resulting combat. However, thanks to their valiant efforts, the German military was able to push back the omnic offensive and win the fight.
Eichenwalde is a hybrid assault/escort map where the objective is either to escort a battering ram to Eichenwalde Castle while the other team defends the keep, or to reclaim Balderich’s remains.
During the livestream, Blizzard also stated that Eichenwalde was the birthplace of Bastion, the transforming robot hero. Their next Overwatch short “The Last Bastion”, which will delve deeper into the battle automaton’s origin story.
Overwatch Lead System Designer Aaron Keller described the map as “very vertical”, and there is a drawbridge to the castle that Principal Designer Geoff Goodman says is “a great Widowmaker spot.”
The new map, which is playable now at Gamescom, will be coming to Overwatch in September. In the meantime, check out their new Summer Games mode .
