Blizzard could be teasing Hammond as the next Overwatch hero

Something’s up on Horizon Lunar Colony. The Overwatch map got a major rework with yesterday’s test server patch, but not everything that was changed is strictly regarding gameplay improvements.

Blizzard actually carved out an entirely new room on the Overwatch map—specimen eight’s lair. For the uninitiated, specimen eight also goes by another name, Hammond. He’s one of the two creatures unaccounted for after the monkey insurrection on the moon. (Winston is the other, but his whereabouts are known—he’s on Earth trying to get Overwatch back together.)

Related: Who will be Overwatch’s next hero?

It wasn’t long after Horizon Lunar Colony was announced in late May 2017 before Overwatch fans started speculating that one of the monkeys, particularly Hammond, could be the next hero. Stuff hoarded in Hammond’s unearthed room is going to fire up the hype train once again: There’s now reason to believe Hammond hitched a ride to Earth with Winston.

We know that Winston took an escape ship to Earth, but a blueprint found in Hammond’s room suggests that Hammond went to Earth attached by a cord to Winston’s pod. Two toys—a space ship and a ball—mimic the blueprint plans.

Hammond is likely a smaller money; his room is tiny, with an even smaller, enclosed crib-like area. But Hammond’s room door has been knocked down by a larger specimen, as evidenced by the footprints. One of the gorillas could have knocked down Hammond’s door… maybe Winston? But another theory is that it was broken down during the riots, after Hammond escaped through the air ducts. Winston could have helped Hammond escape and attach a smaller pod to his ride, or Hammond could have secretly hitched a ride to Earth.

We’re on schedule for a new hero in Overwatch. Brigitte was released on March 20, which means the next round of hero teasers would be right on schedule.