Blizzard Entertainment has rocked the video game world with orcs and humans in Warcraft and taken us to the reaches of space in Starcraft, but now they’re trying something different with their superhero-themed action game, Overwatch. The publisher has announced today that the game will officially debut on May 24 and that anyone who pre-orders will be able to start the game’s open beta on May 3-4 with everyone able to jump in from May 5 – 9. Check out the new trailer and developer update below!
In Overwatch, players join the ranks of a legendary force of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities, and clash on the battlefields of a near-future Earth. The game features a diverse cast of 21 heroes—each with their own unique arsenal of extraordinary weapons and incredible abilities. Teamwork is critical as players complete objectives, swap heroes on the fly, and combine their powers to game-changing effect—the action is intense, immediate, and fun.
Since the world last caught up with Overwatch at BlizzCon 2015, Blizzard has introduced a number of game features in the ongoing closed beta test. In a new map type, Control, teams battle to capture and hold objectives in locations such as an omnic village in the mountains of Nepal and a high-tech skyscraper in a Chinese metropolis. Overwatch’s new progression system awards players with Loot Boxes containing an array of cosmetic items to personalize heroes, including sprays, emotes, voice lines, and skins such as Punk Tracer and Safari Winston.
In addition to Quick Play mode, which automatically matches players with teammates and opponents of similar skill online, players can test their mettle against computer-controlled opponents in a new Play Vs. AI mode, while Custom Games allow players to set special rules for hero switching, damage modifiers, and more. And there’s more to come in the future: Blizzard plans to patch in new heroes and maps post-launch at no additional cost.
Overwatch will be released on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 at launch.
