One of the maps that has been in Overwatch since launch is Hanamura, which is an Assault-type map where one team has to defend two points, and another team tries to capture those points. Hanamura is notable for having a first point that is not too difficult to take control of, but a second point that is very difficult for the attacking team to capture. However, it seems as though Hanamura may have once been a very different kind of map.
An Overwatch fan who goes by the name Owlero on Reddit took the camera out of bounds and discovered a road leading to a building that looks an awfully lot like it would house a payload. That road then cuts through Hanamura, leading some fans to speculate that the map was originally going to be a Payload map instead of an Assault map. Others think that this detail was just put into place by Blizzard designers to decorate the map's backgrounds.
Whether or not the Overwatch Hanamura map was ever meant to be a Payload map is up for debate until Blizzard itself clarifies the issue. However, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the map went through some significant changes during development. After all, there were other aspects of Overwatch that changed quite a bit from concept to the point that they were actually added to the game.
Take the newest hero, for example. Some of the abilities that belong to tank hero Sigma were originally intended to be used by Mauga. Mauga, meanwhile, is reportedly still in the works for Overwatch as a new hero, though no official release details have been made available at the time of this writing.
While Mauga was still coming to Overwatch at some point in the future the last we heard anything official about the character, a new rumor making the rounds may throw a wrench in those plans (if it's true). A Blizzard leaker named Metro_OW on Twitter has suggested that Overwatch may be done releasing new heroes. If that's the case, it's possible Mauga is being saved for Overwatch 2, which itself is rumored to be announced at BlizzCon 2019 on November 1.
BlizzCon 2019 will offer some more clarification, and maybe we'll even learn more about existing Overwatch characters and maps at the show, like Hanamura. Fans will just have to tune in to find out.
Overwatch is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.