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Blizzard Brings Character-Based Shooter Overwatch To Beta On October 27
With the MOBA genre firmly established, developers and publishers are looking for new ways to build on the premise of characters in lieu of classes. Motiga’s Gigantic, Hi-Rez’s Paladins, and Gearbox’s Battleborn are all competing in that new sub-genre of multiplayer games.
Blizzard’s entry, Overwatch, is one that we’ve been following since its announcement at BlizzCon last year. If you’ve not had a chance to play yet, you might have an opportunity soon.
The beta begins on October 27 in closed format. That means, you’ll need to apply for access. You can do that on the official Overwatch website.
In addition to the small group of testers that have access around the clock, Blizzard will be conducting larger test weekends. These are designed to stress test servers, but will still be by invitation only. These will be more streamlined, with limited maps, characters, and modes.
The beta will run on Windows, and you’ll need to have the Battle.net app. You can register for the beta and read the fine print on the Overwatch website. For more, check out our hands-on impressions.
[Source: Blizzard]
Our Take
I’m curious how Blizzard plans to monetize Overwatch. It seems ripe to run as a free-to-play (and Heroes of the Storm has tested those waters for the publisher). Hopefully BlizzCon will herald the clarity we’re looking for.
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