In Name of Fair Play, Blizzard Hunts Down Overwatch 2 Players. „PC Tricks” Won’t Be Tolerated on Consoles
Blizzard will deal with console Overwatch 2 players who use „unapproved accessories” to play. The punishment will involve forcing „cheaters” to play with PC users.
Overwatch 2, like many other online shooters, isn't immune to players who have no concept of fair play. Not only PC users but also console players use tricks to tilt the balance of victory in their favor. In the case of the latter, the "secret weapon" is peripheral devices in the form of a keyboard and mouse.
Representatives of Blizzard, senior game producer Adam Massey and lead gameplay engineer Daniel Razza, announced that the company doesn't intend to tolerate such practices. Players were cautioned in the issued statement about using "unapproved peripherals" to gain an edge.
Unfortunately, some players on console have been using devices that allow them to use a mouse and keyboard while tricking the console into thinking that the inputs are coming from a controller. While some use different peripherals for accessibility purposes, some players take advantage of aim assist while using peripherals that were never intended to benefit from this feature. For our purposes, we call these devices "unapproved peripherals" -- we read in a post on Blizzard's blog.
Developers say the use of unapproved peripherals has become "most prominent" in the pastimes of high-ranking players, such as Grandmasters or Champion.
Blizzard representatives also admitted that the company has worked to ensure that players who must use "unapproved peripherals" as part of accessibility issues aren't penalized for doing so.
If a player with accessibility needs is detected, we have tailored our actions so that these players will be able to continue playing Overwatch 2 -- they continue to explain.
Harsh penalties for cheaters
Blizzard has announced that the battle against deliberate cheating will begin with the start of Season 11 and will consist of two stages.
If players are caught for the first time, they will lose the ability to play Competitive Mode on their console for one week. At this time, they will only have access to Quick Play. After seven days, they will be able to play in Competition mode again if they stop using the unauthorized device.
It will be worse if a given player doesn't stop using unapproved devices. In this case, not only will they be deprived of access to the Competitive mode on the console, but they will be forced to play with other mouse and keyboard users in Quick Play for the entire season. Furthermore, such an individual will no longer have access to the aim assist feature available on consoles.
Blizzard is warning that permanent account bans will be imposed on players who the company says are "most seriously abusing" unapproved peripherals. These actions are to be directed especially against high-ranking players.
