Overwatch’s Competitive Play season wraps soon ahead of sophomore season kickoff

Season one of Overwatch’s competitive mode will end on Aug. 17, Blizzard Entertainment announced on its Battle.net forum. Players will have until 5 p.m. PT that day to take part until Competitive Play goes offline before its second season begins in September.

That’s a day earlier than originally announced. When the popular hero shooter's more intense gameplay mode launched in June, Blizzard said it would run through Aug. 18. That’s not a major difference, of course, but it means a few hours less with Competitive Play.

Upon its conclusion, there will be rewards available for all participants, regardless of how well they placed in Competitive Play’s inaugural season. Anyone who finished the 10 required placement matches will receive a spray and player icon automatically once the season concludes. Especially talented Overwatch players who managed to make it into the Top 500 for their platform and region will get an extra spray and icon.

Competitive Points will also be awarded to all participants based on their skill ratings. Players will receive upward of 300 points based on their seasonal performance. These can then be spent on golden weapons for every playable character.

Season two is planned to kick off on Sept. 6. Overwatch’s Summer Games event should tide players over in between the two seasons, although that will only run through Aug. 22. Season two of Competitive Play will last longer than the first season at least, as Blizzard announced earlier this summer. The fall event runs 2.5 months, with another two-week break before the winter season starts.