Blizzard has issued its first publicly-confirmed ban wave for Overwatch 2, but there's a catch. Cheating is an ever-present issue in online multiplayer games and Overwatch 2 is not immune from that. Even the most sophisticated anti-cheat tools can only do so much against the ingenuity of cheat-makers. While hacks haven't been as prolific in Overwatch 2 as in some other online shooters, there has been awareness of the problem. Blizzard's work will seemingly be never-ending.Overwatch 2 does feature expansive anti-cheat efforts, which Blizzard has branded its Defense Matrix. The Defense Matrix has been largely left undetailed, with Blizzard preferring to keep its anti-cheat systems secretive. What Blizzard has said includes that Overwatch 2 features "multiple systems," of which in-game reporting is just one, to enforce anti-cheating efforts. Other consumer-facing anti-cheat efforts include Overwatch 2's SMS requirements for free-to-play players and what it calls its First Time User Experience, which cushions the ability of cheaters to directly influence the community experience.But Blizzard takes harsher, direct action against cheaters, too. A Blizzard post made on Overwatch 2's South Korean community forums states that the company has issued a ban wave removing 3,486 player accounts. The ban wave specifically targeted Overwatch 2 players using hack and cheat programs to influence gameplay. This is the first official confirmation from Blizzard that it has banned Overwatch 2 accounts, though it's all but certainly not the last.
The one catch is that this ban wave for Overwatch 2 is specific to the game's South Korean servers. Blizzard teams from other regions have yet to publicly confirm any ban waves, at least for the time being. Still, it does prove that Blizzard is taking action against hackers and that its anti-cheat efforts are ongoing. It's likely just a matter of time before other regions make similar statements regarding bans.
To Blizzard's credit, Overwatch has never been a series associated with widespread cheating issues. That's not to say they don't exist, obviously, but Blizzard's anti-cheat efforts are clearly effective. When a game's community starts having to talk about issues with cheating, it's already gotten to an unacceptable point.
Aggressive response to cheaters allows other criticisms to come into focus, however. Overwatch 2 is not a perfect game, just as no online multiplayer game can be. Players have issues with toxicity among the fanbase, as well as Blizzard's monetization. But the community is at least able to have that conversation due to cheating not being so paramount. Hopefully, Blizzard is able to maintain that going forward.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Dexerto