Release date

http://i.imgur.com/pJa8jNc.jpg

Is anyone else concerned what this will do to Overwatch? I assume those are US dates, but I really wish they were EU. So 6 months at minimum or a whole year? What the hell is Blizzard thinking if they want to establish this game as an esports title.

I otherwise wouldn't care but I've heard that Blizz is in talks with multiple organisations like Faceit, Dreamhack and all these big names to get tournaments going.
So what this means is that we're gonna circlejerk for a whole year in a beta environment, get a few decent size new streamers like Seagull and then the game will die. Or well not die but a very limited scene like in HoTS.

Please someone with contacts to Blizzard assure me that this game will be open beta by the end of this year.

On blizzards website it says that this current closed beta will end before new years
Unless they very recently changed it?

TviQ [#2]

On blizzards website it says that this current closed beta will end before new years
Unless they very recently changed it?

But it doesn't really tell you more than it'll be the end of the technical beta. What will happen afterwards? A new closed beta with big invitation waves for 6 months until open beta? This doesn't really encourage new players to try to get into the competitive scene.

This'll be Hearthstone and HoTS all over again my friend.

then the 2nd wave comes where its not friends and family? idk

those are temporary dates, overwatch is coming out in the spring

https://eu.battle.net/shop/en/product/overwatch-origins

http://eu.battle.net/overwatch/en/buy/ has also gone live now.

"Pre-purchase: Overwatch is expected to release on or before 21/6/2016"

It seems stupid though to not get a larger player base on beta to test it before the end of the current beta and aftwards. There may be a huge gap in knowledge and skills between people in the betas and people that didnt get into it looking from a competitive esports standpoint. Obviously the gap will be there initially but in other games generally the top players in the beta end up being in the top teams when its live and thriving. Well see though.

theres always paladins