- Marvel’s answer to Overwatch issues apology for leaked contract that would have banned streamers from saying anything bad about the game Gamesradar
- The season of game company gaffes continues with NetEase apologizing for a Marvel Rivals preview contract that asked streamers not to make ‘subjective negative reviews of the game’ PC Gamer
- Marvel Rivals Dev Apologizes for Contract That Blocked Creators From Criticizing the Game IGN
- Marvel Rivals apologizes for “inappropriate and misleading” contract PCGamesN
- Marvel Rivals terms of service has “non-disparagement” clause to prevent players giving “negative reviews” Eurogamer.net
Tag Archives: Overwatch
Overwatch 2 dev says revealing controversial healing changes without context was “mistake” – Eurogamer.net
- Overwatch 2 dev says revealing controversial healing changes without context was “mistake” Eurogamer.net
- Overwatch 2 Dev Admits It Was a ‘Mistake’ to Talk About Controversial Self-Healing ‘Out of Context’ IGN
- Overwatch 2 dev responds to backlash over self-heal for tank and DPS heroes Dexerto
- Overwatch 2 game director says it was a “mistake” to reveal the self-heal change out of context from Season 9 Gamesradar
- Overwatch 2 director apologizes for the way self-healing heroes in Season 9 was announced: ‘It was a mistake to talk about this lone change out of context’ PC Gamer
Overwatch 2 Dev Admits It Was a ‘Mistake’ to Talk About Controversial Self-Healing ‘Out of Context’ – IGN
- Overwatch 2 Dev Admits It Was a ‘Mistake’ to Talk About Controversial Self-Healing ‘Out of Context’ IGN
- More Overwatch 2 Controversy Over Passive Healing for More Heroes Push Square
- Overwatch 2 game director says it was a “mistake” to reveal the self-heal change out of context from Season 9 Gamesradar
- Blizzard defends Overwatch 2’s controversial new self-healing as part of ‘much larger set of changes’ Dot Esports
- Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 director responds as major upcoming change sends shockwaves through the community: “It was a mistake to talk about this lone change out of context” Windows Central
Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 director responds as major upcoming change sends shockwaves through the community: “It was a mistake to talk about this lone change out of context” – Windows Central
- Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 director responds as major upcoming change sends shockwaves through the community: “It was a mistake to talk about this lone change out of context” Windows Central
- Overwatch 2’s self-heal change a “mistake” to announce out of context PCGamesN
- Blizzard says forget about Overwatch 2’s support players, soon anyone can heal themselves VG247
- Overwatch 2 is going to let non-support players heal themselves, to reduce the frustration of bad teamwork Rock Paper Shotgun
- All Overwatch 2 Heroes Are Getting Self Healing, Everyone Hates It TheGamer
Activision gives bleak outlook on futures of Call of Duty League, Overwatch League – Dot Esports
- Activision gives bleak outlook on futures of Call of Duty League, Overwatch League Dot Esports
- Activision isn’t sure how long the Overwatch League and CoD League will last, says efforts to address challenges ‘may prove unsuccessful’ PC Gamer
- Activision Blizzard’s latest report reveals its concern regarding the longevity of Call of Duty League Sportskeeda
- OWL Head says Overwatch esports is “not going away anytime soon” Dexerto
- Activision Blizzard admits concern about the longevity of CDL & OWL Dexerto
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Overwatch 2’s ‘Sexual Harassment Simulator’ Made A Brief Return
Trigger warning: sexual assault and harassment.
An inappropriate Overwatch 2 game mode reappeared, but it’s not one to get excited about. The mode, titled “sexual harassment simulator,” was played enough times that it appeared as one of the most popular over the weekend for some players, according to PC Gamer, which spotted the reappearance just before Blizzard quickly pulled it down.
Another “sexual harassment simulator” was discovered in October 2022, but both tasked players with knocking down Overwatch 2‘s female heroes (like Mercy and Widowmaker) while playing as the cowboy Cole Cassidy and repeatedly crouching over their bodies, apparently, as PC Gamer reported, with the word “raping…” until the character in question is labeled “pregnant” as an AI-controlled Torbjorn supposedly fills the role of the baby. This is disgusting on so many levels it’s not even funny, especially because players are forced to play as Cassidy, previously known as McCree, the same name as the ousted Activision Blizzard developer who took part in the controversial “Cosby Suite” meetups.
A screenshot of the custom mode was posted to Overwatch’s official subreddit by user Joyolo13, who simply asked: “What in god’s name?”
“Lol I remember seeing this every day in [Overwatch 1],” said Redditor sw1nky. “Can’t say I’m surprised it’s still around, [to be honest].”
“McCree is back in the game I guess,” said user FoulfrogBsc.
Kotaku was unable to find the custom game mode in Overwatch 2 as it appears Blizzard took the “sexual harassment simulator” offline—for now. So, it seems the company is aware that such a mode exists but might be having a hard time preventing it from reappearing in the game.
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“Inappropriate or explicit content has absolutely no place in our game,” a Blizzard spokesperson told PC Gamer when the outlet asked about the first version of the mode last year. “We immediately removed the user-created game mode once made aware of its existence. We are continually working to improve automatic filters to prevent inappropriate user-created content, and manually removing any that are not caught by the system.”
Kotaku reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment.
While this is at least the second time the “sexual harassment simulator” has popped up in Overwatch 2 specifically, players noted that a similar mode existed in some form in the original Overwatch game. At the time, players posted PSAs to warn the community about the offensive content. Of course, not all player-created game modes are this egregious. But it is concerning that this issue has come up more than once within a few months.
Overwatch 2 Jan. 24 full patch notes and updates
As Overwatch 2’s second competitive season comes to a close, the developers have released a small balance patch that goes into effect on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 1pm CT.
This patch focuses on smaller tweaks to a few heroes and specific mechanics that have been receiving complaints from the game’s player base. Roadhog, Sojourn, and Kiriko are the main targets for this small update.
Overwatch 2’s third competitive season should start in early February and will likely come with another much larger patch to accompany it. The developers have already hinted at some big overall changes coming next month.
Here are all of the changes coming with the Jan. 24 Overwatch 2 patch.
Overwatch 2 Jan. 24 patch notes
Roadhog
- Chain Hook – Impact damage reduced from 30 to five. The enemy’s final position after being pulled by the hook is now four meters away from Roadhog instead of three.
- Scrap Gun – Damage per pellet reduced from 6.6 to six, recovery time reduced from 0.85 to 0.8 seconds, reload time reduced from two to 1.75 seconds, and maximum ammo increased from five to six.
These changes to Roadhog will majorly nerf the hero’s one-shot kill potential after hooking an enemy. Before this patch, the Chain Hook damage plus immediate follow-up with the Scrap Gun meant most non-tank heroes would get one shot after being hooked.
Now, the damage done by the actual hook has been decreased to just five HP, and the target will end up a bit farther away from Roadhog.
This means enemies have more of a fighting chance of being able to escape from Roadhog after being hooked. Heroes with high mobility might be able to move in time to avoid a follow-up shot and will likely not die from the Chain Hook itself.
To compensate for this major nerf to the infamous hook combo, Roadhog’s main weapon got a few small buffs. Though the damage per pellet has been reduced, the buffs to the reload and recovery time mean Roadhog can now fire a bit faster. The ammo increase is a slight buff as well.
Orisa
- Fortify – Health bonus reduced from 125 to 75.
Orisa is just getting one very small tweak in this patch to her Fortify ability. The ability has been deemed too powerful with a 125 HP bonus in addition to its other benefits, so Orisa is receiving a slight nerf. This won’t be a huge change, but Orisa players might want to keep a closer eye on their HP bars when using Fortify.
Sojourn
- Railgun – Energy gain is no longer based on damage done by primary fine, but instead, each primary fire hit on an enemy now grants five energy. Primary fire damage per projectile is reduced from 10 to nine.
Players have been calling for nerfs to Sojourn’s railgun for a long time. This nerf will reduce the charge time for her railgun in almost all circumstances.
Damage boost on Sojourn or armor on enemies both become nullified with this change. Damage-boosted shots will still only grant five energy, and even if she hits targets with armor or discord orb, for example, she still gets five energy per shot. This transforms her railgun into a bit of a unique weapon.
Something to note from this is the patch notes specify energy will now only be given for hitting enemy players, not enemy shields or other utility. OW2 players might still be able to charge their railgun quickly, but this forces them into tighter situations where they are actually confronting enemies face-to-face.
Kiriko
- Healing Ofuda – Recovery time increased from 0.85 to one second.
This is a big nerf for Kiriko’s overall healing output and transforms her playstyle even more toward a dual-purpose support hero.
Each Ofuda still carries the same amount of healing, but players now have to think more carefully about how they are using the papers instead of spamming their primary fire. Since it takes longer to recover after use, Kiriko players have to think more carefully about how they are directing their healing and have the opportunity to use secondary fire more often.
Kiriko has been a top support pick since her release, largely due to her incredible damage output, but her healing has also been borderline broken. The skill ceiling for Kiriko should become a bit higher with this change and players should be even more focused on using damage.
Overwatch 2 Bastion Skin Costs One Coin, Causes Problems
Blizzard is offering Overwatch 2 players a holiday treat in the form of a Gingerbread Bastion skin. It’s exactly what it sounds like: the hero shooter’s robot, made entirely of gingerbread and candy canes. His bird companion is even made out of gingerbread, and the whole getup is super cute. The skin and a candy cane weapon charm are available now as a cheap, one-Overwatch-Coin package, but what was likely meant as a gesture of holiday goodwill comes with a notable irksome drawback: now, my Overwatch coin balance is no longer a nice round number.
If you, like many others, are the kind of person who needs to turn the volume on your TV up or down so the level number ends in a five or zero, you likely know what this means. Now, no matter how many coins you earn through completing weekly challenges or paying for them outright, you will never have a flat number again, as all the coin amounts you can get in Overwatch 2 end in zero already. So, if you buy the Gingerbread Bastion skin, there will always be a pesky nine at the end of your currency. Unless Blizzard releases something with a cost that ends in nine.
I joke, but the discrepancy actually does have a tangible effect on your using the Overwatch 2 store. All the cosmetics you can buy in the in-game shop cost round numbers, and there’s no way to buy Overwatch Coins for any less than 500 coins ($4.99). So, for example, say you wanted to buy a skin that costs 1000 Overwatch Coins, but you just bought the Bastion skin for one coin, bringing your balance to 999 Coins. You’d be one coin away from buying the skin you wanted, but the only means you’d have of immediately closing the gap would be to pay at least $4.99. The next quickest way would be to complete four weekly challenges, which would give you 30 Coins, but is, of course, more time consuming.
Ultimately, because of the grindy systems the Overwatch 2 store has in place for acquiring currency, a skin costing one coin has a handful of weird drawbacks, whether that be from it putting your coin balance in a weird spot in its economy, or you having to deal with a non round number in your wallet staring back at you every time you open the store. But as a holiday gift, it’s the thought that counts, I guess?
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Outside of seasoned Bastion skins, Overwatch 2 is currently hosting its annual Winter Wonderland event, which includes a new mode that harkens back to when Mei could freeze everybody in place.
RIP To These 14 Games That Died In 2022
There was a time, back in the day, where you’d just buy a finished game and played it. No day-one updates or extra patches—it was simple. These games couldn’t “die” because they simply…existed. But as MMOs and live-service games (or “games as a service”) began to proliferate, requiring online servers and constant support from developers to keep things up and running, so too has the number of games that’ve hit in the graveyard. Please, bow your heads as were solemnly mark this year’s casualties.
There were quite a few, too, from racing sims like Dirt Rally and Project Cars to battle royales like Hyper Scape and massively-multiplayer online role-playing games such as Tera. Not every game on this list is “dead” in the traditional sense, with some still having minor functionality that makes them somewhat playable, but all are no longer receiving developmental resources or updates, effectively making them dead games.
Read More: 12 Games Killed In 2021 That Prove Preservation Is Vital
With that, here are 14 games that died in 2022:
Blizzard Legend Chris Metzen Returns To Company After Six Years
Blizzard in 2022 is a vastly different company to the one so many became fans of in the 1990s and 2000s, partly because it is now owned by Activision, but mostly because that was a long time ago and most of the people who made the games you love have left!
Well, except for one. Chris Metzen, a key figure in Blizzard’s rise during that time period and a man with a wild resume of work for the studio (he’s been an artist, writer, designer, creative director and even long-running voice actor on Diablo, StarCraft, WarCraft, WoW and Overwatch, ), has just announced that he’s returning, six years after he departed.
As we reported at the time, Metzen left during a tumultuous time not just for the studio—amid the cancellation of Titan and the release of Overwatch—but in his personal life as well, having just become a father and experiencing some serious health issues:
After Titan’s cancellation, Metzen fell in with the Overwatch project. It was, in his words, “one last charge at the wall.” He helped rally morale and push the game through to completion. And it is a god damned excellent game.
In the process, though, Metzen suffered from nonstop anxiety. During movies with his wife, he’d experience what he’d later learn were panic attacks. He felt like his lungs would stop, but when he consulted doctors, nothing was wrong with him. It was the beginning of 2016, and with the upcoming release of World of Warcraft’s Legion, Overwatch, its animated shorts, the Blizzard movies and, also, a new baby, Metzen was crushed under the pressure to do it all.
“I need a change in my life,” Metzen said.
Blizzard announced his return this morning:
CITIZENS OF AZEROTH,
It is with great joy that I announce CHRIS METZEN has joined the Warcraft Leadership Team as Creative Advisor. Chris’s focus initially will be on World of Warcraft, then his work will expand to other projects across this growing franchise.
Chris was one of the original team members working on the W Warcraft universe back when it began in 1994, and we are so happy to be reuniting him with the world he helped create.
John Hight
General Manager, Warcraft
That job title, “creative advisor”, could mean anything, but the fact Hight adds “his work will expand to other projects across this growing franchise” suggests it’s just a way to ease him back into the studio before setting him loose on more stuff.
You can, and really should, check out Metzen’s full list of contributions to Blizzard games over the years for a fuller understanding of why fans are so happy at this news.