Blizzard bans another large group of Overwatch cheaters, with the focus this time being on players who use "aimbots" and "triggerbots" to get ahead in the game.

With Blizzard’s new first-person shooter, Overwatch, mostly played in online multiplayer (save for training against bots) some players try to get ahead by cheating. Blizzard has previously attempted to restore a level playing field to the game, as it permanently banned over 1500 cheaters, even naming and shaming the players on the company’s official forums. Banned players trying to fool the game’s anti-cheat system by changing various identifying info or even re-buying the game have said that they’ve only been banned again, as Blizzard’s system for Overwatch is just that powerful.

Proving its might once more, Blizzard has banned yet another huge group of Overwatch cheaters. According to screenshots of complaints from cheaters that have been posted on Reddit, Blizzard’s focus with this particular banwave appears to be those who have been using aimbots, which help players aim at their foes, and triggerbots, which see the game automatically fire shots at enemies, with both types of cheating software making it remarkably easier for Overwatch players to get eliminations.

The cheaters have responded to the bans suggesting that they hire someone to hack Blizzard and see how the company is "spying" on players, also saying that what the company is doing is "illegal" as a triggerbot "isnt [sic] even a hack." Another banned cheater says that Blizzard is "persecuting" players for their beliefs (with beliefs presumably being the right to cheat in Blizzard’s game) and another one saying that they would like to organize a petition against the company.

While cheaters may feel hard done by, the fact that Blizzard is taking no prisoners regarding Overwatch cheaters should come as little surprise as in addition to the previously mentioned banwave, Blizzard also filed a lawsuit against the Overwatch cheat program creators, combating the source of the cheating as well as those who actually make use of those programs. Even Overwatch competitive play quitters – who aren’t "cheaters" in the traditional sense – have been hit with severe punishments as Blizzard has doled out high XP penalties to those who regularly quit before the game is over.

Overwatch has 7 million players and Blizzard surely feels that it has a duty to these millions of people who have spent plenty on the game and its massively popular loot boxes to make Overwatch fair. As such, these banwaves are unlikely to cease in future but perhaps this latest swing of the banhammer will prove to be a strong deterrent to those thinking of trying to cheat the system.

Overwatch is out now and is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Reddit