Blizzard To Host Closed Beta For Team Shooter Overwatch In Late October

Blasters at the ready, folks; Blizzard has announced plans to host a closed beta for its upcoming team-based shooter Overwatch from October 27.

Making the announcement via its official blog, the studio noted that the phase of testing will go live in North America first for a select number of users, before making the jump across the pond in order to put European FPS fans to the test. Asia can expect the beat at “a later date.” Requiring a Battle.net account to access, budding testers can toss their name into the hat by signing up via Blizzard’s official page. It’s understood that the first beta will be limited to Windows users.

If you miss out on the chance to partake, though, don’t fret: the studio closed out today’s update by confirming plans to host a series of Beta Test Weekends in the aftermath of Blizzcon 2015, itself due to take place in early November. Designed to pull in a broader range of players, these betas in particular will stress test the Overwatch servers in order to ensure that “they can withstand the assault.”

News of an Overwatch beta is just the beginning for Blizzard, with the company primed to host its evergreen Blizzcon event from November 6 to November 7. There we can expect plenty more details about the shooter, including some of the studio’s other properties such as Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone and, potentially, an update about the future of the Diablo franchise.