Overwatch is already a billion-dollar game

Overwatch, the multiplayer first-person shooter from Blizzard Entertainment, has now made more than $1 billion, parent company Activision Blizzard announced today.

The total represents revenue from sales of the game as well as microtransactions like loot boxes. Blizzard announced last week that Overwatch has more than 30 million registered players, and it “continues to be Blizzard’s fastest growing new franchise,” Activision Blizzard announced today in its earnings report for the first quarter of 2017.

Overwatch is the eighth billion-dollar title in Activision Blizzard’s portfolio, joining long-running franchises like Call of Duty, Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft. Blizzard’s shooter reached that milestone rather quickly, managing to do so less than a year after its debut in late May 2016. Overwatch’s popularity helped drive Blizzard to its best quarter ever with regard to online engagement, with 41 million monthly active users across all games — up 58 percent year-over-year.

As for the Overwatch League, Blizzard’s esports organization for the game, studio head Mike Morhaime said during a conference call today that the company is on track to kick off competition later this year.