Overwatch 2 will punish you if you're friends with cheaters

Overwatch 2 season 2 Kiriko skin
(Image credit: Blizzard)

Overwatch 2 will increase punishments for players who are friends with cheaters.

Yesterday on February 1, Blizzard published a new blog post detailing extensive actions towards cheaters. The changes will be implemented in the upcoming Season 3, and will see Blizzard identify Overwatch 2 players who group up with cheaters, and punish them accordingly for taking advantage of the cheating.

The developer notes that they've banned over 50,000 Overwatch 2 players to date for cheating. These new measures are meant to discourage anyone from willingly grouping up with known cheaters because even if the player in question isn't doing any cheating, they're still profiting from illicit activities.

Elsewhere, Blizzard reveals it's recently begun utilizing voice-to-text transcription and AI learning algorithms to crack down on Overwatch 2 players being disruptive via in-game chat. The developer claims these methods have been "exceptionally accurate and effective" in cracking down on abusive accounts, leading to bans and suspensions where appropriate.

There's been a drop-off in news surrounding Overwatch 2 of late, with merely a handful of patches making headlines since the game launched late last year. Looking to the future though, Blizzard recently said Overwatch 2's new story mode is being "finalized" internally, so those eager to find out more about the game's wider world can rest easy knowing it's on the way.

Blizzard recently said Overwatch 2 would get a "fair number" of changes as it moves towards the upcoming Season 3, listening to and acting on player feedback. 

Check out our Overwatch 2 Ramattra guide if you're looking to step up your game as the shooter's latest hero to join the fray.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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