Paladins Official Launch Set For May 8, Celebration Starts.... Now

Although it may seem like Paladins launched ages ago -- thanks to Hi-Rez's super-long open betas -- it hasn't. But it will be soon. The game's official launch date is now set for May 8. To celebrate the launch, Hi-Rez has planned two weeks worth of in-game events and a "massive" giveaway.

Starting with the giveaway: Hi-Rez is giving everyone who played in the beta (including those who sign-up and log in before launch day) 200 free Crystals. The team considers this massive due to the fact that over 25 million players participated in the beta, making the dollar amount of the giveaway approximately $100 million worth of Crystals.

As for the rest of the celebration, the Paladins team is unlocking all Champions today and they'll remain that way through May 7. They've also planned a day-long stream on launch day during which players can play with some of the Hi-Rez devs.

During the rest of the month, there will be contests, giveaways, in-game events, and more.

Interestingly, Hi-Rez does point out that despite the fact that the game is launching, they don't consider it to be completely finished, and will therefore be doing a lot more work on it. However, they won't be making any more major system changes.