Blizzard breaks down Overwatch open beta by the numbers

9.7 million players participated in the open beta, but how did Blizzard's trial run break down from there?

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Between rumors of secret heroes at launch and its May 24 release just around the corner, Overwatch is on the tip of every tongue. How many tongues? At least 9.7 million, the amount of players who partook in the game's open beta.

Blizzard's provided statistics on those players. For example, they represent over 190 countries, and played a grand total of 37,623,607 matches in 4.9 billion minutes—or 9,380 years.

Out of 21 heroes available at launch, four stood out from the crowd in the Overwatch open beta: Soldier 76, Reinhardt, Mercy, and Widowmaker. Love is fleeting, though, as 271 million hero swaps took place mid-match.

The number of thank-yous from Blizzard? Infinite. Dawwww.

Check out the infographic for more details, and get ready for Overwatch when it drops next Tuesday on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.

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