Players around the world have fought for the future for more than 119 million hours on PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Blizzard Entertainment’s team-shooter phenomenon just after 10 days of its release.
“Over the months and weeks leading up to release we saw a lot of love and support for Overwatch— from Blizzard gamers, FPS fans, and people who’d never picked up a game like this before—and we’re very grateful for everyone’s incredible passion and enthusiasm,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We poured a lot of effort into creating a game—and a new universe—that anyone could enjoy. We’re ecstatic to have had such a successful launch, and we’re looking forward to all of the fun, competition, and new content still to come.”
Since launch, players have swapped heroes 326 million times and teamed up to deliver 11 million payloads to their destinations on the battlefields of tomorrow. In addition to being a smash with players around the world, Overwatch is a critical hit, and is one of the best-reviewed games of the year. GameSpot has calledOverwatch “something spectacular,” while Forbes wrote that “Overwatch, quite simply, is a miracle” and that it’s “a game for everyone.” According to Game Informer, “Overwatch is an amazing experience,” concluding in its 10-out-of-10 review that “things will never be the same.”
About Overwatch
Overwatch takes place on earth in the near future, where teams of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities clash for control of key locations around the world. The game features a diverse cast of 21 unique heroes—including Reinhardt, the noble knight from a bygone era; Zenyatta, the robotic monk in search of enlightenment; and Symmetra, the hard-light “architech” striving to build a better world—each armed with extraordinary weapons and incredible abilities. Across a variety of vibrant and intricately designed maps, players must work together to complete various objectives, swapping heroes to adapt to the ever-changing situation and combining their powers to unleash devastating combos. Overwatch features a variety of game modes for shooter veterans and players new to the genre: Quick Play automatically matches players with allies and opponents of a similar skill level—a quick and easy way to jump into the fight. Play Vs. AI mode pits a team of human players against computer-controlled opponents, with multiple difficulty settings to choose from. Custom Games allow teams of friends to tweak the game’s rules, including damage and healing modifiers and which heroes and maps are in play. Weekly Brawl!