Overwatch 2 Cracks Down On Text & Voice Chat, Improves Reporting, And Is Taking Away Your Inappropriate Name

Overwatch 2 is taking a step toward improving the in-game experience by cracking down on text chat and voice chat abusers, as well as general cheating, all while improving reporting and algorithms that detect all of these things.

Previously there were three settings in the shooter's 2 text chat: Friendly, Mature, and Unfiltered. The devs feel like the Unfiltered setting was allowing too much abuse, so will be removing it. Now only the Friendly and Mature text chats will exist as options.

Overwatch 2 is also expanding disruptive voice chat detection and actioning going forward. They utilize machine learning algorithms to help identify, transcribe, and verify reports of disruptive voice chats. They will continue rolling this feature out in various regions.

Inappropriate names are also seeing a crackdown. Whether it's a custom game or a BattleTag, inappropriate names will be identified and removed.

Apparently, there's a sector of the player base who don't cheat themselves, but often group with those who do to gain the benefits. The Overwatch 2 devs have already suspended thousands of accounts who constantly group with cheaters, and will continue to detect and punish these accounts going forward.

Overwatch 2 is also improving feedback in the game when your reports result in actions against another player so that you know your voice is heard and important. The devs encourage reporting and say that it is a very important part of how they recognize negative trends in the game.

Note: Activision Blizzard has been sued by California’s Civil Rights Department, alleging violations of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and Equal Pay Act. CEO Bobby Kotick is alleged to have known about the alleged violations within his company. These allegations have all been denied by Activision Blizzard and the company points to additional diversity and inclusion training as past examples of taking the accusations seriously at the time they were made.