Blizzard's MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, Gets a Release Date

Blizzard Entertainment on Monday announced that its upcoming MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, will officially arrive on June 2. An open beta period for the free-to-play PC game, meanwhile, will start on May 19.

Previously, Heroes of the Storm was available through a closed beta, which 9 million people have signed up for to date, according to MMO Champion.

Heroes of the Storm is a free-to-play MOBA not unlike League of Legends or DOTA 2. Blizzard's MOBA brings together characters from the developer's suite of franchises, including Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo, among others.

Some of the game modes that will be available for Heroes of the Storm at launch include Cooperative, where players fight against AI opponents, as well as Quick Match. MOBA veterans, meanwhile, might be more interested in the game's "highly competitive, draft-style ranked play" modes, Blizzard said.

You can check out a new trailer for Heroes of the Storm above.

In a statement, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said Heroes of the Storm is a "fresh take" on the MOBA genre, given its focus on "team play and fast-paced fun." He adds that Heroes of the Storm will be accessible to newcomers while also offering a challenge to experienced players.

At launch, Heroes of the Storm will feature 30+ playable Heroes and 7 maps. Players can deck out their Heroes with skins, while a variety of mounts are also available to help you get across the map faster.

Blizzard also announced today that it will hold a special live-stream event on June 1 from London to mark the launch of Heroes of the Storm the next day. More details about this event will be shared later.

In other recent Heroes of the Storm news, the finale of the Heroes of the Dorm college eSports tournament will be held this coming Sunday, April 26. This event will take place in Los Angeles and will be streamed live on ESPN3.