Since launch on May 24, over 7 million people have played Overwatch- Blizzard’s new team shooter- and they’ve racked up some 119 million hours of play between them. So, the game has had “one of the most successful global game launches of all time”.
Note that this figure refers to number of players, as opposed to units sold. In an email to Polygon, Blizzard clarified that “unique global player count… includes anyone who’s played the digital or retail version of the game, as well as those who have played the game in Internet game rooms”.
Note also that this figure is slightly lower than the amount of players brought in by the open beta- 9.7 million- but people didn’t have to pay for the beta.
At any rate, Blizzard is pretty happy. Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment, had this to say:
“We poured a lot of effort into creating a game – and a new universe – that anyone could enjoy… 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.”
