Overwatch servers coming online - get in there

It's time.

Overwatch is finally here. The servers are scheduled to come online in most territories as I type this.

Assuming you got your disc or preload install sorted and grabbed the day-one patch, you should be able to jump right in.

Given record-breaking interest in the Overwatch beta and the subsequent anticipation (have you seen all those "Blizzard please people are dying" jokes?) we expect there to be massive demand. Will the servers hold steady or collapse under the weight? It's always a concern these days, but we have hopes that Blizzard has learned some valuable lessons from the horrors of the Diablo 3 launch way back in 2012. Those problems resulted from unanticipated demand (no, really) but surely Blizzard is aware of the hype train this time.

Update: It's been 16 minutes and there are a lot of connection failures happening. Don't panic yet - but maybe go get a sandwich or something?

Update 2: Looks like it's settled down a bit now - and in less than half an hour. Hooray!

This is the first all-new Blizzard IP launching as a premium game since 2004's World of Warcraft, and if you want to be pedantic and point out the MMORPG that changed the world is part of the Warcraft series, then it's the first new launch since StarCraft in 1998.

Blizzard's current stable is absolutely stuffed with heavy hitters: Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone and even Heroes of the Storm, which is doing rather nicely even if it's not the cultural phenomenon of the others.

Is Overwatch set to be the next big Blizzard thing? Can a company with no shooters and only a few console games to its names throw itself into a genre scene dominated by juggernauts like Call of Duty and Halo? Dip into the hype today, and judge for yourself.

Just getting started? See our Overwatch guide for best starting heroes, beginner's tips. When your fingertips start to bleed, come argue over our Overwatch characters tier list.