Something is coming to Overwatch, as teased by Blizzard through a short video uploaded to the game's official Twitter account.
The tweet, a cryptic one as with previous Overwatch teasers, hints at a major announcement for the game on April 11.
Blizzard 'Overwatch' Announcement On April 11
"Initiating archive declassification... Mission files unlock: April 11. RETWEET to confirm," tweeted the official Overwatch account, accompanied by a short 20-second video that provides more clues to what the announcement could be about.
The center panel on what seems to be a computer display shows File 00382 of the Overwatch Mission Archives, named King's Row Uprising. The panel states that the record was entered 7 years ago, and that it will be declassified on April 11.
A panel on the left appears with a poster stating Mandatory Robot Registration, and there also appears to be a new skin for Tracer partly hidden behind the center panel. A closer look also reveals what looks like an altered version of the Overwatch logo in the upper right corner of the center display. Meanwhile, the upper right panel displays what appears to be an Omnic corporation, while the lower left panel shows what looks like security footage in a subway.
What Could The Announcement Be About?
The name of the file refers to King's Row, one of the original maps of Overwatch that is set in Great Britain. It seems that the announcement will be related to an Omnic uprising that happened in the area seven years ago, long before the current events of the game.
The mandatory registration could possibly be the reason why the Omnics revolted, especially as King's Row is an "Omnic ghetto" as described by various Redditors in the official Overwatch sub-Reddit thread discussing the teaser. The official description of the map reveals that the basic rights of Omnics have been denied in modern England, with the robots forced to live underground in what is known as the Underworld.
The King's Row Uprising could also have something to do with the successful assassination of Tekhartha Mondatta, carried out by Widowmaker. Mondatta, who preached the idea of spiritual equality between humans and Omnics, tried to improve the living conditions of the Omnics in King's Row, but was killed by Widowmaker despite Tracer's efforts to stop the assassination.
The announcement could be the start of another alternate reality game by Blizzard, though if this is the case, it would likely run much better compared with the very complicated reveal that was made for hacker hero Sombra.
Blizzard might also be revealing a new map on April 11, perhaps the Underworld of King's Row as hinted by the subway security footage. It could be something much larger too, such as a new event that focuses on that specific part of Overwatch lore.
Speculation is now running rampant, as one week is a really long wait for impatient Overwatch players. What is likely not happening is the announcement of a new hero, as Blizzard only released tank hero Orisa recently. Sorry, Doomfist fans.
