Overwatch

Overwatch  was a 2016 team-based  multiplayer   first-person shooter  game by  Blizzard Entertainment . The game was first released for  PlayStation 4 ,  Windows , and  Xbox One  in May 2016 and  Nintendo Switch  in October 2019.  Cross-platform play  was supported across all platforms. Described as a " hero shooter ",  Overwatch  assigned players into two teams of six, with each player selecting from a  large roster of characters , known as "heroes", with unique abilities. Teams worked to complete map-specific objectives within a limited period of time. Blizzard added new characters, maps, and game modes post-release, all free of charge, with the only additional cost to players being optional  loot boxes  to purchase cosmetic items. Overwatch  is Blizzard's fourth major franchise and came about following the 2014 cancellation of a  massively multiplayer online role-playing game ,  Titan . A portion of the  Titan  team were inspired by the success of team-based first-person shooters like  Team Fortress 2  and the popularity of  multiplayer online battle arena  games, creating a hero-based shooter which emphasized teamwork. Some elements of  Overwatch  borrow concepts from the canceled  Titan  project. Overwatch  was unveiled at the 2014  BlizzCon  event and was in a  closed beta  from late 2015 through early 2016. An open beta before release drew in nearly 10 million players.  Overwatch  received universal acclaim from critics, who praised the game for its accessibility, the diverse appeal of its hero characters, its cartoonish art style, and enjoyable gameplay. Blizzard reported over US$1 billion in revenue during the first year of its release and had more than 50 million players after three years.  Overwatch  is considered to be among the  greatest video games ever made , receiving numerous  game of the year  awards and other accolades. The game is a popular  esport , with Blizzard funding and producing the global  Overwatch League . A sequel,  Overwatch 2 , was announced in 2019 and entered beta in 2022. The  player versus player  portion of the game is  free to play , with all cosmetic items from  Overwatch  carried over while introducing new heroes, maps, and gamemodes. A  player versus environment  (PvE) co-operative multiplayer mode will be released at a later time. On October 3, 2022, the  Overwatch  servers were shut down in preparation for the release of  Overwatch 2  the next day.