Blizzard Has Set Its Sights On Overwatch 2 Cheat Makers

Though it's proven to be a financial success for Blizzard Entertainment, reviews for "Overwatch 2" heavily criticized multiple aspects of the game, including its monetization scheme and for tying heroes to the premium Battle Pass. It was also criticized for requiring players to give Blizzard their phone number to gain access, which was a barrier on launch for many without regular access to a phone or who use pay-as-you-go — a controversial feature that has since been removed.

After releasing in October 2022, "Overwatch 2" has had growing problems with cheaters thanks in part to its free-to-play model, but Blizzard hasn't just been twiddling its thumbs and ignoring the issue. In fact, Blizzard appears to be tackling the cheating problem in "Overwatch 2" head-on as it served a cease and desist order to one of the game's larger cheat providers.

According to posts on Reddit and the official forums, on November 14, one of the developers announced the cheating software would be taken down later in the day. "We know our customers may feel upset or angry about our decisions," the post reads, "but unfortunately, we have no control over the situation."

Players found creative ways to cheat in the original "Overwatch," but that was also a fully-priced game, and being banned meant losing out on what players spent to play the title in the first place. "Overwatch 2" is free-to-play, making cheating much less risky as players can create another account if they get banned. Cheating is nothing new to Blizzard games — "World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic" players are dealing with a huge number of bots and cheaters with practically no response from Blizzard support. It appears Blizzard's attention is on its most recent title, which is excellent news for "Overwatch 2" fans who are tired of being steamrolled by players with cheating software.

The fan response to the news has been overwhelmingly supportive, with some fans calling out the developer for labeling cheating programs "assistance software," and with many hopeful that it means Blizzard is committed to making "Overwatch 2" as cheater-free as possible. Unfortunately, the number of players using the service isn't known, so how much Blizzard's cease and desist order will affect players running into cheaters isn't known either — but fans agree that it's a step in the right direction.