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Blizzard's Overwatch touts 7 million players across all platforms

Heroes have battled for over 119 million hours and counting as Blizzard reaps success from its biggest beta ever.

David Craddock

June 2, 2016 1:59 PM

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Nearly 10 million people took Overwatch for a test drive during its open beta. Still, that was free. Blizzard games are always popular, but no one can be sure just how many players will make the leap from free trial to retail package.

According to a press release issued by Blizzard earlier today, seven million players have played Overwatch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC since the game's official launch last week on May 24, for a total of 119 million hours of play time.

"Over the months and weeks leading up to release we saw a lot of love and support for Overwatch—from Blizzard gamers, FPS fans, and people who'd never picked up a game like this before—and we're very grateful for everyone's incredible passion and enthusiasm," said Blizzard CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime.

As it did following the game's open beta, Blizzard has compiled interesting stats for Overwatch fans to mull over in between sessions. Players have switched heroes over 326 million times and delivered 11 million payloads.

The game has garnered critical acclaim as well as commercial success. Our editor-in-chief, Steve Watts, awarded the game a 9 out of 10, and the PC version holds a 92 aggregate score on Metacritic.

Unsurprisingly, Blizzard has more in store for Overwatch, including changes to characters and a competitive mode due later this summer. "We poured a lot of effort into creating a game—and a new universe—that anyone could enjoy," Morhaime continued. "We're ecstatic to have had such a successful launch, and we're looking forward to all of the fun, competition, and new content still to come."

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.