Mentioned in this article Games: Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch

Blizzard’s shiny new shooter, Overwatch, just finished an exhaustive beta testing weekend that saw players rack up over 129 years of in-game playtime. It also included one of the first-ever tournaments for the game. It’s clear that Overwatch has serious potential when it comes to being an esport. But I can’t help but feel that giving the game full esports treatment while it’s still in beta—early beta at that—undercuts any implied competitive integrity.

There are two serious problems that esports betas present. Accessibility is one of the biggest ones. There’s no easy way around it—some teams have access to the beta, some teams have a few players with access to the beta, and some teams have no access to the beta. This creates a system where some teams can practice, and others can’t.

Even though pickings are slim in current tournaments (I could only find $400 of prize money in total), that is bound to change. If Heroes of the Storm is any model for the future of Overwatch, tournaments will begin popping up with tens of thousands of dollars in prize money. Netease’s Gold Series Heroes League (with $80k in prize money), started a month before the game was launched out of beta.

What’s more, but Blizzard’s own Heroes World Championships qualifiers started the exact same month of release, giving teams that were waiting for the game to get out of beta minimal time to practice the game.

Another big issue is how these teams get formed. The bottom line is that players without access to the game have no chance to get onto or form a team, and might not even know that they like the game or can excel in it. Similarly, players that currently only think of themselves as casual might pick up a love for playing and decide to go pro.

Access to a sport, or inability to access it, is a critical issue, regardless of whether it is played on a field or online. Having a limited access beta would essentially be the equivalent of locking prospective players out of the gym, so to speak. It creates a class systems where those who have access can practice and improve, while those who don’t have access stagnate.

The other issue is one presented in how Blizzard is now marketing this beta weekend. “People played 129 years of Overwatch this weekend,” said Jeff Kaplan, Overwatch’s game director. It was also circulated that 7 million beta accounts have signed up for the beta. His post and this statistic were quickly picked up by media outlets.

The core problem here is that betas don’t reflect actual game sales, playerbase size, or even interest. Overwatch’s beta testing weekend was completely free—but the game itself requires a minimum of $40 to play on PC, and $60 on console. Therefore, there’s no way of knowing how many of those 7 million will purchase the game.

In the end, betas create two main problems in esports, both because they limit accessibility for current teams and for prospective players, and because they drive unrealistic usage statistics.

Finding solutions for these issues are complicated, but rely on understanding the core problems behind them. Developers could get creative and create rolling beta accounts, with accounts that get access then have it revoked, where everybody has equal access over a long enough time frame. One thing they could do is ensure no major tournaments happen before interested parties get enough time with the game to be competitive in them.

Really, it’s all about treating the game like an esport and respecting the competitive integrity that calling it such implies.

UPDATE: It should be noted that Overwatch has a closed beta tournament prize pool cap of $10,000. It’s a good start but far from the protections needed for professional players.

CORRECTION: 7 million accounts had signed up for beta, not had been active for the beta weekend.