Overwatch streamer shocked after being matched against literal bots in ranked
Blizzard EntertainmentAnyone who has ever played Overwatch has had teammates they thought were so bad they could be AI, but one streamer actually managed to get matched against literal bots in his ranked game.
Overwatch ranked is a proving ground for players to show their skills and climb the ladder up to Grand Master and Top 500. Doing so can be a bit of a grind, but depending on your foes, you can get some free wins every once in a while.
Nothing can compare to what happened to Twitch streamer HashHash during an August 24 broadcast where his group actually found themselves matched against AI-controlled opponents in a Platinum game.
While defending on Hanamura, HashHash and his team were stunned after no one showed up to attack over twenty seconds into the round.
“Where’s the team?” he asked, and even left the choke to see if anyone was coming.
Finally, the opponents showed up, but were moving extremely bizarrely and completely unnatural.
“They’re AI! Look at this!” HashHash shouted. “What is going on?!”
Blizzard EntertainmentWhile an enemy Ana got somewhat ahead of the choke, the other “players” had trouble navigating the map. Interestingly, when one would jump, so would other heroes on the team, suggesting they were all controlled or programmed the same way.
“It’s like six people playing at once?” the streamer gasped.
Sadly, the encounter came to an abrupt end when one of the players left the game early, causing the round end shortly thereafter.
Of course, it is possible to play against AI in Overwatch in a special queue, but it’s not a ranked mode and those bots don’t all jump in unison, so it seems to be a weird experiment created by someone with too much time on their hands.
In any case, watch out for any bots showing up in ranked, as there’s no telling if they’ll be on your team or the opposing side.