Smurfing has been an issue in almost every single competitive online game ever made and Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch 2 hasn’t escaped it. But it seems like the developers are making new efforts to battle it. Blizzard recently announced that it is working on a new new technology to quickly detect and place smurf accounts at their proper skill level.
This is similar to what Riot Games has done for its games like Valorant. In addition, Blizzard also continues its aggressive stance against cheaters and announced that over 800,000 accounts have been banned since launch. These are small big impactful changes that Overwatch needs if it is to survive the competition from Marvel Rivals.
In case you don’t know what smurfing is, it’s when a player creates a new account to play in lower ranks. The reasons for this can vary from wanting to play with lower rank friends, or just wanting to feel good because they can’t win in their own ranks. Basically, it’s a lame move from players to ruin actual low-rank players’ games.
Idk if it’s the rank I’m in or if the game is just too old but every single comp match tonight on Overwatch had at least one smurf and I just… I’m gonna go watch anime instead lmao pic.twitter.com/ehPRphTP7u
— Gibi 🎧 (@GibiOfficial) January 12, 2019
Blizzard is on our side and knows that smurfing creates an unfair environment, particularly for new players. To tackle this, the developers recently announced via a Defense Matrix post that Overwatch 2 will now use advanced matchmaking technology to identify seasoned players on fresh accounts and quickly adjust their matchmaking rating (MMR). So if you’re a new player, expect better matches soon.
These changes will hopefully make it so smurf accounts do not linger in lower ranks. In addition to this, newly created accounts will have their first five matches against AI-controlled bots to help real newcomers have an easier time learning the game. Let’s hope these changes work for the better because the game has been going downhill lately and we desperately need a pick-me-up.
Groundbreaking PvP gameplay changes coming…
Watch Overwatch 2 Spotlight on February 12
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) January 29, 2025
Blizzard also notes that this will likely affect the popular “Unranked to Grandmaster” challenge streams. The challenge is very popular among pros and content creators who attempt to climb the competitive ladder from scratch. Since smurf accounts will now be placed in their appropriate skill bracket faster, these challenge runs will be much shorter, Blizzard says.
Aside from the smurfs, cheaters are also a big problem, and Blizzard has reiterated their aggressive stance against cheaters. Since the launch of Overwatch 2, over 800,000 accounts have been banned for using hacks such as aimbots and wallhacks. If we compare this to smurfs, cheaters affect not just individual matches but also compromise the integrity of the game.
The developers are also aware that addressing smurfing and cheating alone won’t be enough to bring back life to the game. That is why Blizzard has promised “groundbreaking changes” to the game’s PvP experience, set to be revealed during the Overwatch 2 Spotlight event on February 12. What do you think will be announced and will it be enough?
There is no room for error from Blizzard. The game has faced a significant drop in its player base since the release of Marvel Rivals in December 2024. A lot of Overwatch players have jumped ship to the new hero shooter and we’re gonna have to see nothing short of a miracle for it to be saved.
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