Blizzcon is a special time of year for anyone who's poured dozens of hours into just about any Blizzard property. An annual celebration of everything they've brought to the industry, it's a time that pulls fans together to reminisce how their favourite titles brought them together. So who can blame Blizzard for riding that buzz as long as possible? They want more players!
With the last Overwatch Free Weekend taking place around a month or two ago, Blizzard has announced plans to fire it up yet again in a week's time. They're certainly not struggling for players with 30+ million copies sold, but we can see where they're going withthis.
This year's Blizzcon was used to announce a brand new map, Blizzard World, dropping the heroes of Overwatch into a theme park built around Blizzard's iconic library. With every character getting a new crossover skin to celebrate its release next year, fanart havens have likely gone into overdrive in what will essentially boil down to free advertising for newcomers and reignite the flames of those who haven't played in a while.
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Similarly, a new tear-inducing animated short featuring Reinhardt premiered at the event alongside a new playable hero, Moira, that will, again, spur the fanbase into another round of creative competition. With a surge of publicity arriving in spaces like DeviantArt, Pixiv and Tumblr, it's the perfect time to let onlookers get in on the action.
With enough time to dodge any other plans, the next Overwatch Free Weekend event kicks off on November 17 at 7PM BST lasting into November 20. As always, progress made during the event will carry over should you decide to buy the full version that's typically offered at a discount price for a time after.
Eagle-eyed players have noted how promotional material mentions 26 characters being available during this time, meaning Moira could officially release by then. It seems early enough to think this could be a mistake in the material, but Blizzard have yet to confirm or deny it. Other than that, free players will be able to tackle everything the game has to offer, but Ranked Play will be locked to full accounts.
