Players want new anti-cheat for Overwatch 2 amid hacker “infestation”
Blizzard EntertainmentWith the Overwatch 2 fast approaching, Overwatch players are warning Blizzard that a hacker infestation is plaguing the original game and could ruin the sequel’s beta launch.
Hacking in Overwatch has been a consistent issue for many months now and while the game doesn’t have the same cheat issues as other Activision-Blizzard titles, such as Warzone, it is making players very nervous.
On April 26, the long-awaited Overwatch 2 beta will go live, but with cheaters running rampant, some big-name streamers are voicing concerns.
In a post documenting the hacking problem, Overwatch Twitch streamer ‘Kephrii’ outlined why the sequel will need a new anti-cheat.
Blizzard EntertainmentHackers infest Overwatch ahead of OW2 beta
According to Kephrii, Overwatch is averaging 2,000 cheaters banned per week and showcased just some of the ways hackers are causing problems.
Noting that for less than $10 a day, hackers can have access to aimbots and hero-specific cheating software, the streamer warned that the problem needs a solution.
“Overwatch 2 needs a new and effective Anticheat. It needs to operate at Ring 0,” he added, hoping for a Kernel-level anti-cheat.
.@PlayOverwatch is infested with a fuck ton of hackers. Averaging roughly 2000 banned per week. Overwatch 2 needs a new and effective Anticheat. It needs to operate at Ring 0. pic.twitter.com/vL3m6yGOQT
— Brian St. Pierre (@Kephrii) April 9, 2022
While not everyone agreed that the anti-cheat needs to be kernel-level, there was plenty of calls for one too.
“I play both. Valorant and Overwatch. I’ll take a kernel anti-cheat any day. Zero issues in Valorant. The aim isn’t to ruin your computers or be invasive, cause if it were. Goodbye gaming fanbase, goodbye money, goodbye trust,” one wrote.
“I 100% agree. Many games’ anti-cheats have kernel-level access already such as Easy anti-cheat, Battleeye, Vanguard, and EQU8. At this point it should be norm,” said another.
It’s not clear yet what Blizzard has planned to stop cheaters in Overwatch 2, but if the hacking problem persists, it could be bad news for everyone looking forward to the upcoming beta.