Blizzard devs tease Overwatch 2 tournament mode, clans & combating smurfs
Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch 2 is set to bring in plenty of new features and modes with the sequel that fans should keep a close eye on as the game fast approaches.
While most of the community’s attention is on the new 5v5 gameplay changes, there are a lot of system upgrades and additions to Overwatch that could severely change how the game is played and who we play with.
In a recent content creator Q&A with the developers, Blizzard discussed numerous things they are working on to improve the ranked and social experience of the game.
YouTuber YourOverwatch documented these questions and the developers’ answers in a video and some of what the devs have to say have us very excited.
BlizzardWill Overwatch 2 have a tournament mode?
When asked about Overwatch 2 having a tournament mode, the devs explained how they recognize the desire for an in-game tournament system and it’s something they have on their radar.
“There absolutely is a desire to implement in-game tournaments, but we also want to make a lot of improvements to larger elements of competitive play first,” they replied. “So I sadly, don’t expect to see such a system for a while, but how they would fit into Overwatch 2’s larger competitive ecosystem is something I’m keeping in mind.”
So, while it doesn’t seem like a tournament mode will launch with the game, the developers aren’t ruling it out and it appears that it’s something fans should expect to see in the future.
Clans in Overwatch 2
The devs were asked about players being able to customize their bios or even ways to find others and make friends within the same city and the team is fully on board with the idea.
“Yes!” they responded. “We would like to add more social features for Overwatch 2. Some are fairly large in scope and some are smaller.”
It should be noted that a clan system was seemingly leaked at BlizzCon earlier in 2021. Images that showed up on Blizzard’s website appeared to show the words “Clan C9” next to a player icon.
In video footage from Overwatch 2 at BlizzCon, however, that Clan icon was blurred out. As such, this in conjunction with the new developer comments seems to confirm that a Clan system of sorts is in the works.
Blizzard EntertainmentHow will Overwatch 2 combat smurfs?
Smurfs have been considered a major issue in Overwatch for a long time with players from higher ranks stomping on lower-skilled players on alternate accounts. The devs seem to be aware of this problem and are working to deal with it.
“We’ll be tackling this in different ways. One of the primary avenues we’re looking at is trying to give the matchmaker more tools for determining your skill more accurately and faster,” they explained. “We want to better identify people repeatedly abusing alt accounts and action them appropriately.”
The devs added that they’re also looking at how easy it is for players to create alt accounts, but recognize that not everyone who uses an alt account is doing so for nefarious reasons, so finding a balance is key.
Blizzard EntertainmentIn any case, getting smurfs out of certain matches to create more fair teams would be wonderful. Sadly, the devs gave no ETA on this feature or if it would be coming to the original game as well.
We’ll have to see what the future holds, but expect to see more news about Overwatch 2 coming in the weeks and months ahead.