A Route 66 change could be a hint for Overwatch’s next hero

Part of the fun in Overwatch is delivering payloads. Sometimes those payloads are grumpy directors who need to get to the studio to get their next film started. Sometimes the payload is a bunch of bombs disguised under money and pachimari, and we’re assisting in an assassination threat. But most importantly, on occasion the payload is something like, oh, say Doomfist’s gauntlet. Doomfist’s gauntlet was the Numbani payload until it was smashed open, robbed, and we had to escort an empty payload around while hype built for not one but two new heroes: Orisa and Doomfist himself.

With that in mind, it’s worth noting that the latest Overwatch PTR update changed the payload on another map: Route 66.

Blizzard Entertainment

The payload on Route 66 is a nuclear weapon. The top looks a lot like D.Va’s MEKA with a silver disk embedded in the top. This suggests that the casing is relatively safe, even if the nuke itself is powerful. That’s a little alarming, but it makes sense that the weapon smugglers in the Deadlock Gang — McCree’s former outlaw associates — would be transporting something that powerful around.

There’s just one problem. The PTR has updated the payload, and, well... the nuke is gone.

Blizzard Entertainment

BlizzCon is coming up on Nov. 2, so it’s the perfect time for Blizzard to start hinting at a new hero. We could be seeing a member of the Deadlock Gang, or someone with a nuclear-powered mecha. Honestly, it’s fine. Everything’s fine. None of this seems like something we should be worried about. Remain calm.