It’s official: Blizzard’s new first person shooter, Overwatch, will hit shelves on May 24.
The highly anticipated shooter—mega developer Blizzard’s first foray into the genre and its first new intellectual property in years—will be available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on that day. But players who pre-purchase or preorder the title will gain access to the Open Beta for both the purchaser and one friend on May 3-4.
If you’re still unsure about diving into the new game, an all-access open beta period from May 5 to 9 will give everyone the chance to try out the title before shelling out the cash to buy it—$39.99 for the base title or $59.99 for the Origins Edition that includes five exclusive skins and in-game items for other Blizzard titles. The open beta will include all content that will be in the game at release.
The only catch is that experience and loot earned through the game’s progression system will be reset once the official release at the end of May.
The current closed beta will be shutting down prior to the May 3 open beta date, meaning that those who have access right now will be taking about a month-long break from the game. That means the nascent esports scene that’s currently hosting weekly tournaments will also go on hiatus, but that’s no big deal. There’s going to be tons of esports action for Overwatch, and now we know it will officially begin on May 24.
Image via Blizzard
