Overwatch Reaches 25 Million Players Registered
By Anthony Taormina 27 January 2017
The successful multiplayer hero shooter Overwatch celebrates another major milestone, having reached 25 million registered players since launching in May of 2016.
Although many had questions about the game’s quality prior to release, Overwatch has proven to be another rousing success for developer Blizzard. So much so that the title has already amassed a 25 million player base in less than a year on the market.
Keep in mind that the player base does not mean that there are 25 million gamers actively playing Overwatch at any given time. What it means is that there are 25 million registered players – gamers that have either dedicated significant time to Overwatch, or even just launched the game for the first time.
Last time Blizzard offered an update on Overwatch was back in November, when the developer said that the title had around 20 million registered players. In the two months (or so) since then, the title has accumulated an additional 5 million players, which brings us to today’s 25 million count.
The world needs heroes, and over 25 MILLION have answered the call!
The fight for the future isn't over yet, though… Are you with us? pic.twitter.com/aVoON7QwMB
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 26, 2017
It’s no surprise that Overwatch’s player base continues to grow, as the title finished out 2016 strong. Not only was Overwatch the recipient of numerous Game of the Year awards (see where it ranks on Game Rant’s Top 10 Games of 2016 list), but also it launched the Winter Wonderland event to keep players occupied through the New Year.
Like most Blizzard games, support for Overwatch has been sustained and plentiful, with new events rolling out regularly, offering both new cosmetic items to collect and new modes to play around in. Just this week, for example, Overwatch kicked off its Year of the Rooster Event in celebration of Chinese New Year, bringing a new set of skins and a Capture the Flag mode that may be a permanent fixture of the game.
It’s funny to think that at its initial unveiling, Overwatch was labeled as a Team Fortress 2 clone and a shameless attempt by Blizzard to get in on the hero shooter craze. Now, some 25 million players registered later, few can even remember that apprehension over the game, and most are still logging regular hours in the hunt for competitive dominance or new skins. Overwatch has become such a global phenomenon that the series has inspired two runs of Funko Pop figurines, and there is even talk of an Overwatch movie.
As far as the game is concerned, the future looks pretty bright, with the promise of new events, new characters, changes to balance gameplay, and presumably lots more Blizzard accouterments. Perhaps we will check in with the game in a few months and it will have passed 30 million registered players.
Overwatch is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
