New Overwatch deathmatch map takes players to Italy

Overwatch is primarily a team-based game, but occasionally you prefer something a little less cooperative and a little more aggressive. That’s where the free-for-all deathmatch mode comes in. Eight players battle it out on a map in a frantic race to 20 kills. For fans of this game mode, a new map is coming. Malevento will be the next free-for-all deathmatch map, and it’s coming to the game’s Public Test Region (PTR) on Windows PC today.

Malevento is a Talon base located in Italy, so it’ll likely have a few Easter eggs and lore hints for sharp-eyed fans. This is only the fourth map that is designed specifically for Deathmatch. Chateau Guillard, the ancestral home of Widowmaker, archeological site Petra, and Japanese town Kanezaka are the three existing maps. Other maps from standard game modes have been adapted for deathmatch by closing off certain avenues and locking players into a smaller arena.

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Players will be able to test Malevento and see how the map works for their favorite hero on test servers. Chateau Guillard is infamous for having areas like the cellar where players can group up and use tools like Symmetra turrets or Junkrat grenades to cause some chaos, while Petra has a lot of wide open space and environmental effects to consider. Malevento will likely have its own deadly quirks that can be used to set up some sweet plays.

Malevento is currently available to play on Overwatch’s public test servers, which are accessible to all PC players. The map will is planned to go live for all players and on all platforms on Sept. 28.

Blizzard originally planned to release Malevento on Overwatch’s PTR back in July — specifically on the day after the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against parent company Activision Blizzard. California regulators alleged in that suit that Activision Blizzard fostered a “frat boy culture” that allowed gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment to proliferate at the company. The map’s release was postponed.

You can read more about the allegations against Activision Blizzard in Polygon’s explainer.