Battleborn’s open beta drew 2 million players

If you’re wondering why open betas tests have become such an important part of blockbuster video game development, you just need to look at how many people are willing to join them.

Developer Gearbox revealed today that its upcoming competitive shooter Battleborn’s open beta earlier this month drew 2 million players. Battleborn officially comes out May 3 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It hopes to attract the same kind of fans that have turned hits like League of Legends (which has 67 million players every month) into some of the most profitable games in recent history. The growth in competitive gaming is part of the esports movement, a market that could generate $463 million this year. And Battleborn publisher 2K, which doesn’t have any big esports game yet, wants a piece of that.