Overwatch fans have speculated for years that Blizzard may one day retire certain heroes from the game. Blizzard has pushed back against these claims, saying that even if a hero was killed off in the story, they would still be available for players to choose from. However, a new rumor says that an upcoming Overwatch update may actually add temporary hero bans to the game.

This rumor stems from Twitter user Metro, which gives it a bit more credibility than it would have otherwise. For the uninitiated, Metro leaked a lot of Overwatch 2 news prior to the game's reveal at BlizzCon 2019, and many of their claims were correct. Now Metro says that a big Overwatch update is coming in a few weeks, and that it will "very likely" include hero bans. Presumably, this would give players the ability to vote on banning a certain character or characters from use in a match, similarly to how we've seen it implemented in other games.

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If this feature is implemented, it could mean that unpopular or overpowered characters won't be available to choose from in matches, which could significantly change the meta. For example, Overwatch pro players have labeled Mercy as the worst hero in the game, but she is almost always selected by Support players. A hero ban could keep Mercy from being in the game, which would change the strategies of both teams.

If Overwatch did implement hero bans, it would be a massive change to the game. And like the Overwatch role queue system, it could prove to be a controversial one. It's easy to see a scenario where players simply back out if their favorite hero is banned, or otherwise throw a match on purpose. In a game that already struggles with toxicity, this could lead to some problems.

Of course, if Overwatch hero bans are put into effect, Blizzard will test the feature internally and in the PTR before rolling it out to the main game. This way, if the community greatly dislikes hero bans, then Blizzard can always refrain from adding it to the game itself.

Since the big Overwatch update is rumored to be released in a few weeks, fans of the hero-shooter should learn more about the hero ban system sooner rather than later, perhaps shortly after the end of the Lunar New Year event.

Overwatch is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

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