Overwatch Heads to Retail a Day Early, But Only So You Can Get Ready for Launch Day

Those buying physical copies of Overwatch will be able to pick the game up a day before its official launch, though there has been no change to when its servers will actually be going online.

Late last week, Best Buy began notifying those who preordered Overwatch that its release date had been shifted forward by a day, from May 24 to May 23. Contacted for comment at the time, Best Buy would only tell GameSpot that Overwatch would now be available on May 23, but playable on May 24.

Blizzard subsequently confirmed with GameSpot that the game will be available one day early from stores like Best Buy and GameStop in order to ensure players are ready for launch.

"We would like for all of the players to be ready to dive straight into the action when the servers go live, so retailers are going to begin selling the game when their stores open on May 23rd," a spokesperson said.

Those who preorder the game digitally are able to preload it ahead of release. Those getting physical copies would have had to wait until launch day to get their copies and install them, delaying their ability to get right into the action. So while retail copies will go out a day earlier, it isn't adjusting the launch time--it's just eliminating the need to spend part of Tuesday staring at an installation screen.

The recently concluded beta--which saw almost 10 million players--included everything that'll be available in the game at launch. More content is on the way this summer, though we don't know exactly what form that will take. In the meantime, check out the latest Overwatch short film.