Almost everyone will agree that “Overwatch” is one of the biggest titles in the industry right now. Since its release last year, it managed to acquire millions of players from around the globe. Apparently, it shares the same issue with other titles: toxicity.
In “Overwatch,” players either leave matches early or throw their team. Either way, these make the gameplay experience of other players worse. Interestingly, Blizzard is looking to implement yet another wave of bans. Here is what you need to know.
Permanent bans coming
According to Dot Esports, more serious punishments are coming to the hit shooter title.
This will be unleashed on September 27, and on this day, any players racking up three or more seasonal bans might receive a permanent ban. The latter will prevent the player from playing the game’s Competitive Play ever again. The huge announcement was made by none other than Josh Engen, the community manager of the game. He first clarified that seasonal bans will not have to be “consecutive” in order for a player to get a permanent ban from playing competitively. Basically, if he earns seasonal bans in the second and fourth season, and then eventually earns more, later on, he will be eligible for “a permanent ban from Competitive Play.” This will immediately be implemented to the player as soon as the third season ban arrives.
Engen further explained that once a player gets a permanent ban, things can be a little bit difficult for him in “Overwatch.” First and foremost, there is no way for him to return to good standing. More importantly, he will no longer have access to playing Competitive Play. Engen mentioned that seasonal bans happen for a variety of reasons.
For instance, if a player keeps disconnecting or leaving early, this offense will rack up as time passes by. As soon as the system recognizes this, it will implement a seasonal ban to the player.
New anti-toxicity tool
It cannot be denied that Blizzard wants to completely eradicate toxicity in “Overwatch.” As a matter of fact, the new update that arrived reportedly brought a new adjustment to the game’s reporting and punishment system.
Basically, players who get enough “Avoid Me” reports will be muted, though this only applies to the Xbox One version of the game. Clearly, this is among the many steps the studio is taking to fight toxicity. It is worth noting that seasonal bans also cover cheating and trolling. According to a statistics featured by director Jeff Kaplan, Blizzard has managed to discipline 480,000 since the game launched.
