'Overwatch' breaks numbers with 15 million players; what to expect from 'Overwatch World Cup'

Blizzard Entertainment is enjoying a lot of success with its first-person shooter title “Overwatch.” The game previously garnered 7 million players in a short period of one week. Now, there are already 15 million “Overwatch” players and counting.

News of “Overwatch” breaking the 15-million mark arrived just after Blizzard featured the “Summer Watch,” an Olympic-themed release that allows gamers to enjoy new skins, sprays, bonuses and items for their characters. One of the advantages that “Overwatch” has is its potential availability on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, allowing players on various gaming platforms to join.

Engadget revealed that players have logged 500 million hours in “Overwatch” at present, and Blizzard intends to capitalize more on its popularity by featuring new content in the coming months. The total number of players is expected to grow as the “Summer Games” and Overwatch World Cup draw nearer.

The official "Overwatch" website stated that the Overwatch World Cup is an international exhibition that will pit teams from various countries against each other in a battle for global domination and glory. The event will start with communities from different parts of the globe voting for the players whom they wish to represent their country. Next, the teams will battle in several online exhibition matches until they reach the BlizzCon 2016 stage. The Overwatch World Cup is set to launch in September 2016, while BlizzCon will happen in November.

The teams that will represent their respective nations and regions in the second phase of the Overwatch World Cup will participate in a best-of-three, single-elimination online qualifiers in September. At BlizzCon 2016, 16 teams will fight in round-robin group stages and single-elimination finals. The 16 teams will consist of six from Europe, six from the Asia-Pacific and four from the Americas.

The Overwatch World Cup players are selected according to various criteria. Blizzard intends to choose well-rounded teams for the community to choose from, which will represent their respective country or region. They plan to include as many countries as possible in the grand event, and expect more nations to join in future events. The top 16 teams at BlizzCon will get a free trip to BlizzCon as well as an appearance bonus, but there is no prize pool.