Stricter penalties are here – the new reporting system for Overwatch has been introduced and fans are excited.
In a team game, few things are as annoying as a teammate who constantly misbehaves, insults everyone in voice chat, or ultimately stops playing because the rest of the team doesn’t “dance to their tune.” Such toxic teammates can ruin the fun for all other 11 players in Overwatch, which is why Blizzard aims to drastically reduce tolerance for this behavior.
In the official forum, Community Manager Lylirr has now written a long post explaining what changes are already in effect and what is coming in the future.
Stricter penalties for all offenses
Those who misbehave in Overwatch will face stricter consequences. If players are reported and then found guilty, the following penalties may apply:
- “Silence” (Can no longer chat / talk in voice chat)
- Temporary ban
- Permanent ban
Offenses include the “usual suspects”, such as insulting chat messages, harassment, in-game spam, inactivity in the match (deliberate AFK), and griefing (intentionally disrupting the enjoyment of others – for example, repeatedly trapping your own team with an ice wall).
These stricter penalties take effect immediately and are already being implemented by the community team.
More feedback in the future
However, this is not the end of the plans. Throughout the coming year, Blizzard aims to further refine the reporting system. There are several things that will be improved in the near future to enhance the reporting system for all users.
- Scaling penalties for ranked games (full season bans)
- A notification system when reported players receive a sanction
- Features to punish players more harshly who abuse the reporting system
Overall, creating a “peaceful and welcoming” gaming environment is one of the biggest goals, and thus the reporting function is one of the most important features.
Reporting system for PS4 and Xbox One in internal testing
Blizzard is still diligently working on the reporting system for PS4 and Xbox One. Internally, they have now entered a testing phase and are trying out the first versions. They emphasize that many at Blizzard are console players themselves and they want to achieve the same standard as on PC.
In the forum and on Twitter, players are showing satisfaction. So it seems a good first step has been taken.
What do you think of these announcements and promises? A good thing or just a lot of hot air until something actually happens?
