The community wants to know: What does Blizzard actually think about Smurfs and Boosting in Overwatch? They get clear answers.
In the Overwatch community, there are a handful of topics that repeatedly come up in the official forum. These mainly revolve around the actions against players who do not adhere to the rules of fair play.
- What is Blizzard’s opinion on “boosters” – that is, people who get “boosted” for money to have a better skill rating?
- What does Blizzard think about smurfs – second accounts from pros who mow down newcomers with them?
- How does Blizzard feel about “throwers” – players who give up directly and no longer play properly?
All these questions come up repeatedly, and Blizzard’s answers have often been vague. Therefore, the user Argos wanted to receive a clear line from the developers in the official forum. As so often, Jeff Kaplan, the Game Director of Overwatch, responded to this request.
According to him, “smurfing” is completely fine. Having a second account and playing with it does not contradict any rules. Moreover, the skill rating (or the MMR) would adjust very quickly, so a good player would be matched against equally strong opponents after just a few matches.
However, anything that manipulates the internal MMR (Match Making Rating) or skill rating (such as “boosting” or “giving up”) is not okay. For this reason, penalties for boosting and intentional giving up will soon “dramatically increase.”
Kaplan urges players to continue using the reporting function to report disruptive behavior, and then actions will be taken.
On the PS4 and Xbox One, the reporting function is still pending – the developers have been working on it for several months.
However, what exact penalties there are for these offenses is still unclear.
What penalties would you like to see for people who ruin the game through boosting or “giving up”?
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