The promised update is now live for Overwatch that adds competitive play to Blizzard's multiplayer shooter. Word in this update is, "Competitive Play is designed for those who truly want to put their skills to the test, and offers a more serious experience than our Quick Play or Weekly Brawl! modes. To make sure everyone has a solid understanding of the game's mechanics, maps, and heroes, Competitive Play will be locked until you hit level 25." They outline the way the matches will work and show off the golden weapons that will serve as the mode's rewards. As for the future, they conclude by saying, "This is only the beginning, though! With each new season, we'll be making changes and other improvements based on player feedback." This post notes that this season will be a bit short, since summer is already underway. Here's more:

Shorter Summer Season
We also wanted to let players know that the first season of Competitive Play will be an abbreviated one, lasting only two months instead of the normal three. This is because our Competitive Play patch is launching in the middle of the Summer 2016 season, which technically began on June 1 (a minor side-effect of our real-world season system). As a result, our inaugural season will include approximately 1.5 months of play rather than the full 2.5 months, ending on August 18 across all platforms. The Fall 2016 season will then begin as scheduled following our standard two-week off-season break.

We’re super excited to release Competitive Play, and we made the decision to move ahead with a shorter season for two key reasons. One, we want players to be able to start working towards their Competitive Play rewards as soon as possible. And two, we believe this first season will teach us a lot of about what works well, what doesn't, and what players are really looking for from a competitive system in Overwatch. Competitive Play is definitely one of those features that will take us a few iterations to get right, and by getting the system out there sooner, we can start making improvements based on your feedback sooner too.

To learn more about changes we already have planned for the Fall 2016 season, click here.