Overwatch players have had a crazy week throwing fits since this new Ping & Respond video release gave rules on what the punishment was for leaving Stadium matches early. The reactions have truly been spicy. From random disconnects to outright rage-quitters, the community stands divided about whether these punishments are fair or unfair.
So, what’s new? Blizzard announced that if you leave before your match yet remains unfinished, the penalties can range anywhere between temporary suspension periods and –season bans– if you do so much too often. A player even reported that with a single unfortunate occurrence a certain @Dobromir1253 managed to get himself banned after leaving the match, rejoining, and winning the match. Ouch.
Things just get worse: @ItzSkyyyee came to point out the harshness for legit affected players in a post that reads, “So if my wifi randomly disconnects and I load back up, I’m suspended… What an ass system.” Worldwide, those words were replied to by @DukeCityKittie with, “If I know your wifi is ass then don’t play.” Oof. And the drama will not be stopped.
Now, Quick Play players come into the picture. @Swagvibes said plainly, “It’s Quickplay, why would I waste my time to a trolling team or to an enemy team who are dogwashing us?” And honestly? Not a point I can refute. If you have limited time to game, no one really wants to go getting trashed by sweaty stacks. But Blizzard holds to its story: early quits affect the match for everybody else, so the penalties will stay.
Suggestions come from some players like @EgrillVtuber for a fix, such as allowing party leaders to vouch for disconnected teammates and hold their spot. Others such as @ItsStevie909 have just demanded no rank loss for leaving on their team: “Why should WE get punished for other people’s failure to have decent internet?” And… yeah, that’s really hard to defend.
Finally, there’s real chaos-breaking random demands pop-ups in the replies. @strstyler went jumping on the Junker Queen dance emote bandwagon (same, honestly), while @iflairr_ just wants Wuyang to be “pretty.” Priorities, folks.
To cut it short: stick around, Blizzard says. Bad match? Troll teammate? Disconnect? System going to system. And if you ditch a lot? Eh, enjoy your forced vacation from Overwatch.
So the verdict? Divided players. Some believe the penalties are fair and meant to keep matches fair; others think the penalties are maybe making them lose points for situations out of their control. Either way, no one is happy about spending an actual 10 to 15 minutes in a hollow game, so here’s hoping Blizzard brings them somewhere in the middle before the rage-quit reports go through the roof.
