Blizzard Entertainment has shared that in its efforts to keep Overwatch 2 fair, it has banned over 1m accounts for cheating since the hero shooter launched back in 2023.
The milestone was reached in part by reviewing over 23,000 accounts playing with unauthorised third-party peripherals. Following this achievement, Blizzard has launched new tech in Season 18 to further safeguard the game’s competitiveness.
Blizzard added that the 23,000 users it took action against either used unapproved peripherals, such as using a mouse and keyboard on console pools, otherwise known as ximming, or were grouped with a cheater.
Changes in Season 18
The figures were shared alongside the announcement of new changes coming to Season 18. For the first time in the game’s lifespan, consoles received native mouse and keyboard support and controllers. In light of these changes, console players with mouse and keyboard were moved to PC, and player pools were renamed from PC & consoles to controller & mouse and keyboard.
As such, Blizzard Entertainment promises to deal out ‘harsher consequences’ to players using unapproved peripherals. In the new season, accounts will be banned regardless of rank or mode if caught cheating.
However, cheating in Overwatch 2 extends beyond peripherals. Out of the 1m accounts banned, Blizzard Entertainment notes cases including aim-bots, wallhacks, among other forms of cheating in the game. With the Season 18 update, Overwatch 2 developers are now equipped to spot cheaters ‘faster and with more reliability’.
How These Changes Affect Esports?
Overwatch 2 has a vast esports ecosystem, including the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS), where the smallest decision can make a huge impact for professional rosters. Rolling out these changes will ensure that games are determined by skill and teamwork as opposed to technical advantages.
However, OWCS, despite undergoing several changes over time, has always remained a PC exclusive event. Furthermore, even with mouse and keyboard support on consoles, the difference in the hardware’s performance between the two platforms remains too great.
