Since its launch in May, Overwatch has quickly become one of the most played games on Windows PC. It has already become the all-time fastest selling game for Windows PC in China and in Korea it has soared to the top of Korean internet cafe charts, gaining popularity by the day. The game has already amounted over 500 million total gameplay hours. And one of the reasons for the massive amount of logged hours might be the start of Season 1 of competitive play.
Back on June 28th, the first season of competitive play for Overwatch began, and by then – according to Polygon – only about 119 million hours were logged. Blizzard intended for the first season of competitive play to last until August 18th but it appears like they’ll cut back few hours on that promise and end the first season on August 17th. Polygon notes that players will have until 5 p.m. PT on the 17th of August to participate in the competitive mode.
There difference might seem insignificant to most, but those hours might be the difference to those gamers seeking several of the rewards which will be awarded after the competitive play finishes. Regardless of where you finish, if you participate you’ll be eligible for a reward. However, based on skill ranting, players can receive upwards of 300 points – the total will reflect their seasonal performance. These points can then be spent on gold weapons. Polygon previously reported that
director Jeff Kaplan recently said [that these rewards] will be offered to players as competitive prizes. A variety of playable heroes gets a blinged out accessory, as seen in screenshots, such as Reinhardt’s hammer, McCree’s gun and D.Va’s mech.
For those gamers who finish all 10 required placement matches, they’ll receive a spray and a player icon. For those who are more competitive and talented, Overwatch will award every region’s top 500 players an extra spray and icon.
Season 2 is still set to start on September 6th, and it’s going to last a bit longer than the first season, two and a half months in total. Until then, players can set their focus on the release of Overwatch’s Summer Games event content, which last until the end of the Summer Olympics – August 22nd.