The announcement comes just two month’s after Blizzard’s last player-count milestone, when it hit 15 million players and saw an increase in both South Korea and China. China saw Overwatch become the country’s fastest-selling PC game of all time over the summer.
One potential reason for the recent surge in players is the “Halloween Terror” event that kicked off this week. The celebration features the first Overwatch cooperative mode, called “Junkenstein’s Revenge.” The horde mode tasks four players with defeating waves of enemies, including “Junkenstein’s Monster” and a “a host of shambling zomnics.” If you’ve ever wanted to take out six enemies at the same time with McCree’s Deadeye ability or mow down an entire army with Soldier: 76, this looks like the mode for you. Ana and Hanzo are also available to play.
Of course, Halloween wouldn’t be complete without spooky costumes. Reaper can wear a pumpkin on his head, and Mercy becomes a witch, with her healing staff inside her broom. Perhaps the best costume belongs to Bastion, who looks like a walking tombstone, complete with “R.I.P.” written across its chest.
The update also adds several new wall sprays and victory poses, as well as “loot boxes” that currently take the form of jack-o’-lanterns.
Nonseasonal features were included, as well. A new leaderboard will show the “top 500 competitive players form each region,” and you can also see how you compare to your friends. A separate leaderboard will be included for Halloween Terror.
Do Overwatch‘s spooky new additions make you want to get back into the game, or have you never stopped playing? Let us know in the comments!
