Bugs and exploits are a common occurrence in online gaming. There have been many instances of game-breaking bugs in some of the most popular games, including those that are competitive in nature. However, now it appears that Overwatch has fallen victim to a bug that could become a real nuisance until it's successfully patched.
While not the only one to experience this, Twitter user Metro_OW posted that there's a bug that makes the game nearly unplayable and has caused concern for damage to their PC hardware. While the latter is not provable, many clips of Overwatch gameplay display other players exploiting this bug.
By spamming voice lines, it appears that players can lock up the gameplay for others in a match, with a loud, piercing noise ringing through Overwatch's audio. It appears to lock up gameplay, with many people simply dropping from the match to try to get away from the person using the exploit.
Players have been finding different solutions to the issue, such as squelching the problem player and avoiding matches with them. Some people simply don't know what's happening and drop out of the match, with the possibility of losing rank points due to the bug. Whatever the case, it will most likely keep happening until Blizzard patches the issue.
With Overwatch 2 not slated to be released in 2021, and very little new content on the horizon, Overwatch players are now in a wait-and-see situation, and with a bug like this, it can be infuriating. While this isn't the first bug to appear in Overwatch, it is one that can have a major effect on the state of the game. Other competitive online games have definitely had their fair share of bugs and exploits, as well as game-breaking issues, so that it may have just been a matter of time with Overwatch. While most players will likely not attempt to break the game for others, a select few will ruin it for others.
Overwatch has been a constant model of excellent online gaming, but with this bug teaming up with a quiet period in Overwatch, players are likely to take notice. While the patch notes from the official Overwatch website detail a patch 2 days ago, and this issue being recorded happening in the past day, there still appears to be no fix for it. Players should squelch and avoid players that attempt to break the game until that fix comes through.
Overwatch is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.