‘Overwatch’ dev shares info on beta, teases new hero and unveils giant-sized figures all over the world

“Overwatch” has successfully wrapped up its beta run. Currently, it’s looking at its last weekend before the official launch on May 24.

During this time, so many things have happened, among which may make fans anticipate the game even more. For starters, developer Blizzard has announced the official numbers and figures of the beta.

In a blog post, the “Overwatch” team shared that over 9.7 million players gathered from the three platforms, PC, PS4 and Xbox One to try tout the beta. This is the biggest beta to date for Blizzard.

During the beta run, players amassed 81 million hours spanning 37.6 million matches. There were four standout heroes that players all over preferred, namely Soldier: 76, Widowmaker, Reinhardt and Mercy. The full details of the infographics can be seen in the link above.

To prepare fans for the launch, Blizzard prepared a little promotional stunt for “Overwatch.” Three 15-feet tall figures of key heroes in the game were unveiled in three different locations.

IGN reported that the figures were unveiled in Los Angeles, Paris and South Korea, with each country getting Tracer, Genji and Pharah respectively. The figurines came in matching boxes, with stats displayed at the back and some gear attached to the box inside. As far as merchandise for “Overwatch” is concerned, Blizzard has not yet made any formal announcements, but this is a possibility, given the tease.

While Blizzard has confirmed via Twitter that a new hero is not coming on launch day, there are clues as to a possible new hero coming in some time potentially post-launch. According to a report from Forbes, there have been sightings of a hero named Sombra in the works for some time.

She will reportedly be a support sniper, and one that has been spotted lingering in the Dorado map. There has even been a reference of her in a dialogue, though officially, the character has not yet been revealed.

There is speculation that Sombra may make an appearance in the next short featuring Soldier: 76. But considering Blizzard’s tweet that the roster launch will be the same as what was experienced during beta, it is possible that the character will come as a post-launch addition. Technically, fans can expect the roster of 21 heroes and 12 maps on May 24.