Overwatch Bans and Publicly Lists 18,000 Toxic Accounts

A new wave of bans was issued to over 18,000 South Korean Overwatch accounts for toxic behavior. More than just shutting them down, they also listed every single account in a wall of shame.

First reported by Dustin Bailey, a new post by Support Forum Agent Haramunt on the Overwatch forums explains that they are always working toward making a better, more enjoyable experience in-game. This includes silencing and banning players that are rude, mean, or otherwise toxic.

The same post also lists every account they have banned so far.

"Below is the list of the number of accounts that have been identified as inactive in the game, such as abusive language, inappropriate language use, intentional abuse, and non-participation in the game. This will continue to be reported to you."

This is an interesting "name and shame" strategy. Such an idea would most likely spark controversy in the West for being an invasion of privacy. Though this is South Korea, where account boosting can result in criminal action against you.

Overwatch is also looking to combat toxicity with a bit of love. Detailed in a developer update, the dev team is experimenting with endorsements, a system where players can compliment each other for a good performance. Since its implementation, daily abusive chat has declined 28 percent in the Americas and 21 percent in Korea.

My favorite thing about news like this is that if you're just a nice and friendly person in general, you don't have to worry about being banned for things.