Advertising is a tricky thing, especially when you accidentally enable the advertisement for something sooner than you actually meant to do that. We already had the info that the arena shooter/MOBA hybrid Overwatch was due this spring, but we now know for certain that it's coming out on May 24.
Your watch is about to begin—Overwatch arrives May 24! | https://t.co/gTuF3vECIlhttps://t.co/FD2nTFyhV7
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) March 7, 2016
Overwatch is Blizzard's take on the formula popularized by Team Fortress 2, with some added MOBA mechanics thrown in for good measure. Players will be fighting each other in teams of 6 as one of the 21 heroes (all of those come free to anyone who buys the game. No free to play purchases here!) on a variety of maps set around the world as they capture and hold points or shepherd a vehicle from point A to B. It's also possible to play custom games that allow you to set custom rules for matches.
Overwatch has already been in closed beta for several months and in the weeks leading up to the release developer Blizzard Entertainment will be opening the flood gates on May 3 and 4 to people who preorder the game by April 29 first, with the general public joining in on the fun from May 5 through May 9. Players who preorder the game also get an extra friend invite so you and a buddy can both jump in when the game releases. More info on the open beta here.
Keep in mind that the game will need PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live on launch, but the beta doesn't require you to have a subscription to either service. The beta's date also coincides with the release of Take-Two's similar MOBA shooter Battleborn, the release date of which got moved to May 3 after the development got hit with a delay late last year. That might not work out in the latter's favor.
Players who preorder the $59,99 'Origin Edition' will get a variety of in-game goodies like a skin for Widowmaker in addition to the Tracer hero for Blizzard's MOBA Heroes of the Storm, an exclusive card back for Hearthstone and an item for their Diablo III character. Find all you need to know about this edition and the $120 Collector's Edition with even more goodies right here.
If you don't care much for cosmetic items or if you just want to wait for a review you can get the digital PC edition for $40 which has the "core experience" with all the heroes right out of the box.
If you want to get a feel for what the game plays like, you can read the recap of one of the beta weekends written by our very own Stuart Burns.
Are you looking forward to Overwatch? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
