I certainly don’t have to tell you that Blizzard just posted an article about the new features of Overwatch 2, focusing on the Defense Matrix. Yet, all of this new “fair and positive” gaming initiative being pushed to the side for the moment does give Clapping and Party Popper emojis the cancer cure treatment. Meanwhile, players are not ‘against’ throwin’ a rager in the comment section either.
Allow me to address this. Overwatch’s team is stating that they will have new safety measures to address cheating and combat toxicity. That sounds good on paper, doesn’t it? However, viewing the opposite side of the coin makes it very clear that the new safety measures will increase the hostility and frustration towards the game. Remember the hundreds of comments all basically stating “your systems suck” and “fix your game”? Imagine that but in a thousandfold.
A user going by the name Been Here All Along could not remain quiet and, frankly, went off in a tiring rant. Seeking to justify the flurry of criticism tossed his way, he blamed the “entirely dystopian [world of] Overwatch 2” for having “never worse matchmaking.” Everything this person believes is broken, which is everything, is the norm for Overwatch 2. You can’t “play with friends,” and everyone is under the assumption that “chat is banned.” You cannot “play the heroes you want,” and the “completely random maps” are, to the person, “just generally worse.” Sincerely, after waving through the comments, it appears they are not a single person.
The automatic ban system looks like it is bringing the most trouble. People have been claiming that they were suspended for “entirely innocent” comments. One user said they were banned for innocently stating, “shoot the squishies not the tank” and, “dmg means nothing if you just shoot it into the tank.” One more person claimed to have been permanently banned for typing “noob.” Sure, noob is not the nicest term, but a permanent ban is just overkill.
The more bizarre part is how many people claim to be terrified to speak in the game, which is supposedly a team-based one. The chat is virtually empty because the best way to avoid an automatic ban is silence. One user even claimed, “People do not talk in the game anymore. That is not a societal change. It is purely driven by a totalitarian moderation system.” That is… quite damning.
And there’s even more! Users are complaining about “awful” matchmaking, console players being mixed with mouse and keyboard users for ranked, players getting no punishment for throwing games, and the summer event skins being very briefly offered at the shop. Roxton “Sir” Roxton was pleading for the summer skins to be returned because they were apparently offered for only one week, when apparently the norm was two.
And we have the random demands in the midst of the critiques—asking for Junker Queen dance emotes, stadium charms, changes to mystery heroes, and even the Fearless bundle. It’s as if the Overwatch fans are just wishing for everything, hoping for anything to work.
The absurdly sarcastic tone and the attention Blizzard gives them while ignoring the alleged bans and broken system in the replies are on the same eloquence level as sad jokes on cryptocurrency Twitter. It is pretty clear they live in an alternate space from their player base. One player expressed something very straightforward: “The fact you try to continue defending such an archaic system is embarrassing.”
Certainly, I don’t find energy in reading these replies; it only makes me feel worse. It was assumed that Overwatch 2 would revive the franchise’s popularity, but it is far more evident that the community is greatly more frustrated. Under the pretense that they are ‘punished’ for super minor infractions, players cannot seem to talk, play with friends, or get away from being forced to communicate or play with friends.
From this, the Defense Matrix update evidently is missing the mark due to the sheer volume of criticism. If the players are telling you that they are too afraid to use fundamental game features because of your moderation, maybe your moderation needs a complete overhaul.
Blizzard declared that “everyone” should have a “positive place” to play Overwatch 2, but from the players’ perspective, the environment is one where they are walking on eggshells instead of a place to have fun. Instead of piling on more layers of security, why not fix the ones driving people away?
Communication is essential to a team-based shooter game, so if the players are silent, what is the shooter game really accomplishing and is Overwatch even a shooter game in the first place? Rather than wasting time and resources on releasing an unwanted security update, the Overwatch team needs to see these player responses.
There’s a gigantic gap between Blizzard’s view of the world and the players’ perspectives. Until they work on closing the gap, the players will only be frustrated by the Defense Matrix updates and not view it as any form of positive change. The players have clearly spoken their piece, and it is indisputable that they are not happy with where things are headed.
