14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Blizzard is announcing that it plans to take down the official beta stage for Overwatch on December 10 of this year for all those who are involved, to make a range of improvements, and that it wants to reactivate it at some point next year.
The official announcement explains that more than 900,000 matches have been played since the testing stage started in late October and that the variety of player choices and behavior allowed the company to father plenty of important info about servers, matchmaking and both map and hero balance.
Blizzard says that raw data and the various reports offered by the community will allow it to make clear changes in the coming weeks, although at the moment it is unwilling to offer details.
The studio explains that "we will be bringing the Overwatch Closed Beta offline for an extended break beginning on Thursday, December 10 at 9:00 a.m. PST. During this downtime, we're looking forward to making more improvements to the game, as well as continuing to work on in-development features like spectating and progression."
Gamers will be able to share war stories and develop new strategies until a date in mid to late January 2016 when Overwatch returns, presumably with improved features and some new mechanics.
The closed beta forums for the game will be accessible until Friday, December 18, so that gamers can continue to deliver feedback about their experiences and to get details about the coming changes.
Blizzard also says that it plans to increase the number of players who are involved in the Overwatch testing period when it returns in late January of next year although it is not clear when they will receive their invitations.
The company is slowly expanding the player base to make sure that its servers can deal with the anticipated launch demand.
Overwatch aims to offer both accessibility and depth
The new Blizzard title uses the core mechanics of the first-person shooter genre and has a solid focus on multiplayer action, allowing gamers to become part of a team of six heroes who seek to take out their opposition using a variety of moves and special abilities.
Blizzard has said that it wants to make it easy for gamers to get into Overwatch, with a cast of characters that offers options when it comes to battlefield role and tactics.
Until the official release date, the studio is aiming to use the beta to refine the design for the various classes and to make sure that they are balanced and deliver interesting matches.
Overwatch will be launched on the PC, the Xbox One from Microsoft and the PlayStation 4 from Sony on June 21 of 2016.
The development team has surprised many players by announcing that the title will use a classic business model rather than the free-to-play one that many were expecting because of the obvious Multiplayer Online Battle Arena influences.
Blizzard has also said that it plans to deliver long-term support for Overwatch and that it might expand the game significantly based on the way the community engages with it.