While we're all enjoying playing Overwatch 2, it seems Blizzard is still struggling with certain aspects of the game, balance primarily. Sometimes it's a particular Hero, other times it's a map, and on some occasions, it's an entire game mode. When it's not balancing issues, it's the in-game store, which either pushes you to spend real money, or doesn't give you cosmetics you've owned since 2016. The cherry on top, however, is a legal matter between Activision-Blizzard and the US Department of Justice.
Activision Blizzard Settlement With US Department Of Justice In Esports Antitrust Case Breaks Down
The US Department of Justice and Acti-Blizz have been holding legal discussions regarding the Overwatch League esports tournament. The main reason for these discussions is Acti-Blizz breaking antitrust rules stemming from a "competitive balance tax". The talks have reportedly broken down after Activision "refused to make certain concessions."
The bone of contention was a soft salary cap that the company put on Overwatch League teams. While the Department of Justice was making ground, it seems that negotiations have come to a standstill. Reportedly, Activision Blizzard "refused to make certain concessions, including anti-salary cap rule changes that would last beyond the company’s impending acquisition by Microsoft."
Competitive Rank System Is Broken, According To Players
Negotiations aren't the only thing that are breaking down; Overwatch 2's competitive rank system is also broken, according to many players. Many have complained that they are being de-ranked in an unfair manner due to the new system, which seems to be wildly inconsistent.
The new system updates your rank once every seven wins or 20 losses, making it particularly hard to follow. Players also feel that they are not being rewarded despite getting multiple victories. "Making us win seven games to see our new rank is stupid. You can literary be the team MVP every single match you play and go 7-4 only for your rank to stay the same or even go down," said one Redditor.
One Month Later, Players Are Still Missing Skins They've Had Since 2016
Overwatch 2 launched with an account merging feature, which would bring along any cosmetics and leftover currency from the previous game. Unfortunately, this feature hasn't been working as intended, and some players still don't have access to skins they bought back when Overwatch launched in 2016.
"I made a support ticket with [Blizzard] and told them I was missing my [Widowmaker] Noire skin with proof of preorder and old pics," said one player on Reddit. "All they said was they’re working on it and to check back later. One month later, still missing." It looks like Blizzard still hasn't figured out this issue.
Players Aren't Loving The New Push Maps
To cap off the week, players don't seem too happy with the new maps that came along with Overwatch 2, especially those for the Push mode. Many have complained that the maps are too big for the mode, resulting in players having to walk long distances to make it back to the action after getting killed.
"It's a really weird direction for them to make such massive maps while removing 2 players from the match. Push doesn't appear to be designed for 5v5 at all," said one of the comments on the discussion thread.