Zwift teases 'An Ancient Land' on social media

Followers of Zwift on social media may have noticed that the popular indoor cycling app has begun teasing a new launch. 

While details are purposefully sparse, the immediate assumption for many is that this represents a new world in which users will be able to ride. 

So far, the brand has released two videos. The first shows the view through a train window as it passes through an area that is unrecognisable to Zwift users. The start of the video shows the train pass by houses and a construction yard, before rolling through a tunnel and into green countryside. Looking closely, the map on the interior wall of the train shows the various existing Zwift worlds in order of their release, with Watopia, Innsbruck, London, New York, France and more. The final stop reads 'An Ancient Land', and in the muffled audio the tannoy announcement can be heard saying "next stop, an ancient land". The caption 'Next stop: ?' accompanies it.

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The second video shows a gravel road that passes beneath a bridge, with a growing mist as the video continues. The same 'ancient land' reference can be heard, as the words "the spirit of an ancient land is calling" overlay the video. It is captioned 'the mist is clearing soon… Be ready.'

With such a vague pairing of videos, speculation is understandably rife as to what is coming, whether it is in fact a new world, and if so, what that new world will be based upon.

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With the Olympics around the corner, rumours on the Zwift Forum (opens in new tab) have turned their attentions to Japan, with the topic thread speculating that the rings that make up the train handholds are a metaphor for the Olympic rings. 

With the mentions of an ancient land, this suggests that if the plan is indeed a Japan map, it won't be Tokyo, but more rural corners of the country. With Japan being home to the 3,776m high Mount Fuji, could it be that 'Ven Top', the 1909m climb based on Mont Ventoux, is about to be dwarfed? 

One forum user speculates that Zwift's software updates come in the third week of the month, which if correct, suggests that whatever Zwift has in the pipeline, we don't have long to wait.