Blizzard is slightly cheating with the skill rating in Overwatch . You will be intentionally ranked lower than you really are!
A few days ago, Season 5 started in Overwatch, which means that most players are currently struggling through their placement matches. Based on performance, a skill rating is then assigned. Players are currently storming the forums – as they do every season. Many believe that they are actually much better than what the skill rating suggests. And for the first time, they seem to be right!
The colleagues from Kotaku spoke with Overwatch developer Scott Mercer, who admitted that the estimation of the skill rating is adjusted slightly downward. While Mercer did not provide exact numbers, players assume that they are typically ranked about 200 points lower than the “actual” skill rating.
The reason for this is player motivation: they want players to celebrate some successes with their first games after the placement matches. Within the first 40-50 rounds, the skill rating usually normalizes back to the actual value.
Another factor is the MMR (Match Making Rating). This is an invisible value that only the developers can see. This value exists in addition to the skill rating and is used to determine suitable opponents. If the MMR value deviates significantly from the skill rating, winning and losing streaks will cause a faster rise or fall of the skill rating.
Cortyn says: I don’t think much of this “distortion.” It’s a nice thought that they want to give players a few successes after the placement matches, but for me, that contradicts the purpose of a ranked mode. In a ranked mode, I expect hard facts. How good am I? What is my skill? What are my limits? I don’t want to be coddled and ranked lower so that I feel good about climbing afterward. I would prefer to have my skill rating exactly as the game calculates it. I can live with getting “trashed” more often at the beginning.
Have you already heard about the blatant Overwatch copy “Hero Mission”?
