In Overwatch 2, the new method, which is akin to Valorant’s “voice evaluation,” aims to reduce toxicity.
Overwatch 2 toxicity is being aggressively addressed by Blizzard, who also has plans for a system that would record all voice conversation and impose bans based on transcription analysis by “chat review tools.”
Like so many other shooters, Overwatch has struggled with poor player conduct almost from the beginning: A little over a year after its release, in October 2017, we stated that Blizzard’s failure to control toxicity undermines the game’s inclusive message (opens in new tab).
Also Read – Top Overwatch 2 Questions, New Answered
A few years later, Blizzard discussed utilising machine learning to stop abusive communication, and it appeared to have a favourable impact: The technology had led to “an extraordinary decrease(opens in new tab) not only in toxic text chat, but an overall decrease in re-offense rates,” according to the then-president J. Allen Brack in November 2020.
These capabilities will be enhanced by the upgraded system, which is anticipated to be live soon after the release of Overwatch 2, by including automatic transcriptions of voice chat records when disruptive behaviour is reported. After the transcription is finished, Blizzard’s internal tools will be used to check it for wrongdoing.
Beyond vaguely claiming that the new transcription tool “will enable the team to act on abusive voice conversation,” Blizzard didn’t specify what would happen in the event of good results.
Importantly, neither recorded or transcribed data will be preserved for an extended period of time, according to Blizzard: Audio files will be wiped “immediately” after being converted to text, and transcribed text files will be purged 30 days after being created.
We do not permanently save voice chat data, thus this system depends on players reporting disruptive behaviour as soon as they notice it in-game, according to Blizzard. “This implies that in order to give us the best opportunity of identifying, catching, and stopping disruptive gamers, you should report disruptive behaviour as it happens in-game. Your player reports are important since they are one of the best ways to immediately spot disruptive behaviour and take appropriate action.”
Although I find the idea of constantly present machines listening to and evaluating my voice chat to be a little dystopian—the first stone in a grim “Lowtax bans hentai(opens in new tab)” real-life meme that ultimately results in war with Skynet—Overwatch 2 isn’t the first game to make use of this technology. Valorant (opens in new tab), which started testing a “voice evaluation” system in July, is the recipient of this prize.
Although the first response to that announcement was not totally good, with many players expressing worries about corporate intrusion and the actual outcome of the data collected, it doesn’t seem to have materially adversely affected the game or player counts. Indeed, Riot has declared intentions to increase the stakes in the fight against toxicity by enlarging its search for disruptive in-game behaviour (opens in new tab).
Beginning on October 4, Blizzard will also demand that all Overwatch players on all platforms—including consoles—have a phone number associated with their Battle.net account in order to launch Overwatch 2. This is in addition to the automated voice recording. A distinct phone number is required for each account, and some types of numbers, such as prepaid and VoIP, cannot be utilised.
With Overwatch 2 being free-to-play, cheaters with multiple accounts are more likely than ever to gain access to the game. The SMS Defend system, as it is known, will protect against account theft and make it more difficult for banned users to re-enter the game, according to Blizzard.
In ways that a straightforward update wouldn’t allow, Blizzard stated, “Overwatch 2 allows us the chance to continue leveling-up and iterating on our algorithms to fight disruptive behaviour and cheating.”
On October 4, Overwatch 2 will debut and entirely replace the first Overwatch(opens in new tab). It is anticipated that the voice recording transcription system would become operational “in the weeks after.”