Overwatch open beta gathered a ridiculous, record-breaking 9.7 million users

Even after all these years, Blizzard still knows how to bring in the crowds. The company has just announced that the beta test for its upcoming shooter, Overwatch, amassed a grand total of 9.7 million individual users, effectively making it the largest beta test of all time.

For comparison’s sake, previous beta-tests for Destiny and The Division pulled in 4.6 million and 6.5 million players respectively, and even Star Wars Battlefront comes up just short with 9.5 million players.

Seeing that Overwatch’s beta test was also universally praised, I think it’s safe to assume that the game will go on to sell quite a bit, further cementing Blizzard’s legacy as both a critical and financial Goliath. Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime expressed great joy at the news.

We’re thrilled that such an incredible number of players from around the globe got a chance to check out Overwatch during the open beta. Our mission was to make sure as many console and PC gamers as possible could experience the full game ahead of its launch – the response was overwhelming, and we hope that everyone had a blast.

Overwatch will be released on May 24 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.