Blizzard is pretty serious about making Overwatch a staple in the eSports scene, so much so that they have had a zero tolerance policy on cheaters right from the start. However there are other issues with the game that they’ve had to deal with, such as players harassing other players.
So much so that according to Overwatch’s director Jeff Kaplan, he told the folks at Kotaku that Blizzard actually formed a “strike team” whose goal is to combat all the toxic behavior that stems from multiplayer games, including cheating, hacking, griefing, harassing, and more. While Kaplan declined to get into specifics, he asserted that they are doing something about it.
According to Kaplan, “We’re not sitting here with our heads in the sand. You have concerns, and your concerns are now one of our top priorities. If that means the thing we’re gonna focus on as much as Moira and Blizzard World is toxicity, then we’re gonna do it.” He also adds that players who are found to repeat their bad behavior will be booted from the game for good.
Kaplan also stated that there are plans to introduce notifications in-game whenever a player who has been reported has been hit with actions, like a suspension/silence/ban. The idea is that they want players to know that reporting actually does make a difference and that action is being taken.