Multiplayer gaming sessions can get quite heated, and Overwatch is no exception. To combat in-game toxicity, Blizzard has announced Defense Matrix, an initiative comprised of a number of new measures against disruptive behavior in Overwatch 2.
The launch trailer for the upcoming game was also unveiled today:
The game will be equipped with a number of measures to safeguard players and their in-game experiences. One of these is a form of two-factor authentication (2FA) called “SMS Protect.”
All players will be required to have a phone number attached to their Battle.net account starting November 4; the phone number will be linked only to the corresponding account and cannot be used for additional accounts.
Defense Matrix also brings audio transcription functionality to Overwatch 2. Players who have been reported for malicious or toxic behavior in-game will have their communications analyzed through machine-transcribed voice recordings that will be deleted shortly after analysis.
Most notably, new post-launch accounts will have their gameplay experiences significantly limited as part of the First Time User Experience (FTUE) program.
New players begin with access to a limited set of game modes, heroes, and some other restrictions to onboard them more gradually. The first phase of our new FTUE rapidly unlocks all the game modes and the ability to chat in-game, and the second phase unlocks all the original Overwatch heroes over the course of approximately 100 matches.
Most FTUE restrictions are lifted while in a group, so new players can team up with their friends at any time to play almost any game modes. Competitive is the exception to this rule because new players must complete a specific challenge to access this game mode.
Requirements to enter Competitive mode are changing with Overwatch 2. We are removing player levels in-game, so instead of having to reach a certain level, new players are now challenged to win 50 Quick Play matches before Competitive unlocks.
In addition, there will only be a single Endorsement category per match, and players can now only Endorse members of their own team. General Chat has been removed altogether, while a new Ping System has been added to simplify in-game communication.
Portrait Borders in the pre-match screen are going away, and Competitive skill tiers will no longer be displayed before each Competitive match.
Do you think these changes will improve your game experience? Let us know in the comments below.
Overwatch 2’s PvP will launch as a free-to-play title on October 4, 2022 for the PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch platforms. The game will feature full cross-play support.
Source: Blizzard
The change to not show rank before the match isn’t about positivity, its kind of important to be able to call out jank matchmaking, and to see which players you’ll have to be thinking about more in said game, and portrait borders are also a lesser factor in this, but should still be able to be seen as it is something that the player has worked for, it should be on full display. One thing that wasn’t even slightly touched on that should definitely be considered is the private profile problem, mainly that there is no “team” option, , only group, public, private, and the private function should be absolutely banned in competitive play as it hinders your ability to form a team comp when you can’t see your teammate’s account, and they are either not in voice chat, or do not have a mic. Also the win condition in overwatch 1 was at least 100 30 minute games, and the players entering comp were still way too fresh, another change that would massively improve competitive integrity would be massively increasing the challenge, like say 100-150 quick play wins.