Blizzard has announced its Gamescom 2017 lineup, and it sounds like it'll be a good time for heroes of Azeroth, the Koprulu sector, Sanctuary, and Earth alike. Overwatch fans in particular will have some potentially exciting events to look forward to, including a new animated short and the reveal of a new map.
The first details regarding the map will be published as part of a preview video going live at noon Eastern on Monday, August 21. A playthrough will be shown as part of the Overwatch Insights panel, which starts at 7am Eastern on August 23. While the map is currently a mystery, a dataminer posted on Tumblr that they discovered the voice line "Welcome to Junkertown" on the game's Public Test Realm (PTR).
Junkertown has only been touched on in Overwatch lore, but as you might guess, it has close ties to the character Junkrat. Nestled in central Australia, it's a refuge and scrap heap for misplaced souls. Or those who just want to watch robots beat the crap out of each other. According to a D.Va skin description, the residents of Junkertown are quite fond of mech battles as entertainment.
If you're like me and admire Overwatch from a distance (which is a nice way of saying 'I'm not any good, but I still like the game'), you'll want to tune in at 6pm Eastern on August 23, when Blizzard will reveal a new animated short. If I had to guess, the short will focus on Junkrat and Roadhog, seeing how it looks like Junkertown will be the game's next map.
Last but containing the highest concentration of both doom and fist, Overwatch FX Artist Rachel Day will deliver a Doomfist making-of presentation at 8am Eastern on August 25.
You can check out the full list of events for all Blizzard games and set alarms for whatever streams you're interested in via the official Blizzard Gamescom site.
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Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.