Blizzard’s upcoming foray into the shooter genre, Overwatch, has a beta so notoriously vacuum-sealed that fans have given it the nickname “Onlywatch,” referring to how seemingly 95% of the game’s fans just can’t get access to the closed beta and must resort to watching the lucky few play it on Twitch.tv. However, a leak (and subsequent confirmation by Blizzard) earlier today revealed that all that is about to change very soon.
Earlier today, Reddit user named Deadpoolthegreat made a post that claimed he was browsing about IGN when the following advertisements appeared on its front page, albeit for a very brief moment:
A May 24 release date, with an Early Access period starting May 3. The news was enough to tentatively delight Overwatch fans, who then patiently waited for confirmation from Blizzard’s Overwatch team.
Several hours later, Activision Blizzard announced that, indeed, Overwatch will be releasing on May 24, 2016. In addition, there will be two open beta periods before the launch: One on May 3-4 for those who have pre-ordered the game, and one on May 5-9 for everyone else. These dates match up with a statement made last November by Game Director Jeff “Tigole” Kaplan, who projected a Spring 2016 release date at the time.
Those interested in pre-ordering the game can still do so by April 29.
A full video discussing the release date can be viewed below:
While the leaked release date may or may not be a nightmare for IGN staff and Blizzard Community Management alike, Overwatch fans are more than happy to finally have a release date confirmed – and, if nothing else, finally have access to the game’s beta period.
Overwatch will be launching on May 24, 2016, for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.