Blizzard Working to Eliminate Overwatch Trolls
By Alexander Pan 12 December 2016
In a new post over at the Blizzard forums, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan confirms that the team are working on a new reporting system to help with toxic players.
From creating a “hide and seek” game mode to using an amusing glitch in order to make Sombra “skydive”, it goes without saying that Overwatch fans are quite the creative and passionate community. Given that the game has a player base of over 20 million, it is certain that there will be a troll or two within the community, but while some of these trolls are amusing to watch, there unfortunately are those whose behavior negatively impacts everyone. Thankfully, it appears that Blizzard is well aware of the situation and is taking steps to address it.
In a new post over at the Blizzard Forums from Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan, it is confirmed that the development team are actively working on addressing the issue of trolls and toxic players by implementing a new reporting system. At the moment, the team is reviewing the current reporting system and already have a number of design changes in the works that could help alleviate the problem.
Kaplan also revealed that once the reporting system has been updated, the development team will then move onto an internal review of all of Overwatch‘s policies, including punishments and bans, though no implementation date for all these changes have been revealed yet.
Blizzard have previously indirectly addressed the issue of toxic players in lighthearted ways, but these upcoming changes to Overwatch‘s reporting system is perhaps the most significant effort aimed solely on addressing toxic players and trolls since the game was launched back in May. While most players will be pleased to hear that the development team are working on the troll issue, there will undoubtedly be a few exceptions who won’t be too happy about this news, particularly those cheaters who want to sue Blizzard over bans.
As for other upcoming changes that players can expect for the online multiplayer shooter, Blizzard will be launching an Overwatch Seasonal Christmas Event on December 13, which will see a range of Christmas-themed skins for each of the game’s 23 characters and a number of maps take on a Christmas-themed decor. With Season 3 of Competitive Play underway and the aforementioned Christmas Seasonal Event still to come, it is expected that this new reporting system will be implemented soon, especially with an expected influx of new Overwatch players over the holidays.
For now, it remains to be seen when these new changes to Overwatch‘s reporting system will be arriving so stay tuned for more news and updates.
Overwatch is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
