Eichenwalde was apparently the site of one of the most famous battles in the Omnic Crisis, the global event that prompted the formation of the original Overwatch team. As such, the map is likely to contain plenty of hints toward new elements of the game’s increasingly complex lore.
In terms of gameplay, Eichenwalde will be a hybrid map akin to King’s Row or Hollywood, according to a post by level designer Dave Adams on Battle.net. There had been some speculation that it would be a reverse hybrid map due to the way that the level is laid out, but this was quickly stamped out.
Blizzard has already confirmed that Eichenwalde is the birthplace of defense hero Bastion, according to a report from Eurogamer. It seems that we’ll be given more of an insight into the robot’s relationship with the location in The Last Bastion, a new animated short that’s set to premiere this Thursday.
It remains to be seen whether or not the map will give players any further information about Sombra, the mysterious character that’s been teased by Blizzard on several occasions in recent months. No clues have been found in the Eichenwalde reveal trailer, but it’s possible that Thursday’s animated short or the maps itself could offer new hints.
Eichenwalde will be added to Overwatch in September, joining the 12 standard maps that were included at launch. The map will be completely free for anyone that owns the game, which is apparently the plan for all future content updates.
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