Overwatch 2 Bans Over 23,000 Cheaters,Surpassing 1 Million Total Account Bans
Blizzard has taken action against over 23,000 players using unauthorized input methods in Overwatch 2,specifically those employing mouse and keyboard on console platforms – a practice known as “ximming.” This recent wave of enforcement brings the total number of banned accounts to over one million.
The crackdown follows the deployment of new technology designed to detect players circumventing console restrictions with unapproved peripherals. According to a recent Blizzard blog post, these actions included penalties for players directly using these devices and those who teamed up with them to gain an unfair advantage.
“the new Mouse and keyboard support will impact how we action users who previously used unapproved third-party peripherals to gain an advantage over players in the controller pool,” Blizzard explained. “Bypassing the set restrictions in that pool with unapproved peripherals will be considered cheating and actions will be taken on your account.”
initially,Blizzard responded to offenders with warnings and restrictions,often moving them to the PC player pool,especially for those at Competitive levels above Diamond. However, the company has now adopted a stricter policy.
“Continuing to use unapproved peripherals and devices in the Controller Pool will result in a full game account ban regardless of the player’s rank or mode,” the blog post stated.
The one million total bans encompass not only those using unauthorized peripherals, but also players detected using aimbots, wallhacks, and other forms of cheating.
“While the effort to stop cheaters and the cheats they use is an ongoing effort, we want to reiterate our commitment to ensuring the outcome of every Overwatch match is steadfast by skill and passion, and not through unfair advantages,” Blizzard added.
the enforcement coincides with the launch of Overwatch 2 Season 18, which introduced new hero Wuyang, updates to Pharah, Winston, and Brigitte, the return of Route 66 and London maps, new game modes, All-Star rewards, and Endorsements.
