Overwatch 2 players call on Blizzard to end smurfing for good
Blizzard EntertainmentValve issued a report on September, 1, that stated they’d banned over 90,000 smurf accounts. Overwatch 2 players are hoping that Blizzard could follow suit with smurfs running rampant in lower-rank games.
A “smurf” is a high-ranked, experienced player who creates a new account or purposely de-ranks to grief the games of lower-ranked players.
In Overwatch 2, with long queue times at higher ranks, smurfs are common and can ruin the game for lesser experienced players.
But players hope that a mass banning from Valve could signal hope for Overwatch 2 by setting an example for Blizzard.
Overwatch 2 players hope Blizzard will copy Valve
Reddit user PolkaOblige wanted to gauge the Overwatch 2 community’s reaction to Valve’s recent banning of over 90,000 DOTA smurf accounts, asking: “Should Blizzard do the same?“
Overwatch 2 players overwhelmingly responded with “yes,” with smurfs making the current state of the game “a nightmare.”
Furthermore, one player summed up the community reaction to the OP’s question: “Obviously.” But they questioned whether the crackdown on smurfing would happen, “Will they? I doubt it.”
One reason why Overwatch 2 fans doubted the change was how it would affect content creation, with the majority of streamer content coming from new account challenges.
How a Smurf ban would affect Overwatch 2 streamers
Popular streamers like Dafran, who now broadcasts his gameplay on Kick, entertain Overwatch 2 fans by attempting challenges like “Lifeweaver only to top 500” on smurf accounts.
BlizzardOverwatch 2 players fear that the change won’t be implemented because of how it would affect these popular streamers. One Reddit user commented “Unranked to GM streams and videos crank out insane views. I don’t see it happening.”
But, some had doubts that the community would even welcome the change if it happened, even if streamers weren’t affected.
One member of the Overwatch 2 community reminded players that “They [already] tried to implement anti-smurfing mechanics into the account creation. The community lost their minds so they reverted it. There’s really no winning.”