Walking away from matches in Overwatch 2 isn’t without consequences. Players who decide to quit mid-game face penalties, ranging from increased wait times to reductions in skill ratings. Yet somehow, a curious loophole has been spotted by Twitch streamer, durpee, allowing players to bypass these punishments entirely, much to the community’s concern. Despite ongoing demands for stricter measures, Blizzard has yet to tackle this issue head-on.
An interesting turn of events recently came to light when an Overwatch 2 player unveiled an exploit that enables them to exit a match penalty-free. Blizzard, as with many competitive game developers, strives to maintain an equitable space for its players by imposing sanctions on disruptive behavior. For those who leave two or three unranked matches out of their last 20, a 2-minute penalty wait ensues, which can stretch to 10 minutes, then to 2 hours, and even up to 48 hours with repeated offenses. However, in competitive mode, the stakes are much higher. A player exiting prematurely cannot start a new match until the existing one completes, and repeated offenses mean longer waits and lowered skill ratings. There is even the possibility of a season-long ban, forfeiture of rewards, or a permanent expulsion from competitive play. Yet, a critical flaw in this mechanism was recently uncovered.
Mason “durpee” Kuehne demonstrated this flaw in a stream where he played as Reinhardt. On leaving the match to add a friend, he was only absent for a few seconds. Upon rejoining, the game replayed the moment of his character’s demise, seemingly unacknowledged of his brief absence. Despite this clear breach, durpee shared that after 10 minutes, he incurred no penalties or loss in skill rating during that 6v6 match. While his tweets have since been removed, the revelation left the community buzzing.
The Overwatch 2 development team has been trying to curb mid-match exits through various means. In response to the community’s clamor for firmer measures, adjustments have transpired over numerous months. With the onset of Season 4, they began clamping down harder on players ditching competitive matches. Season 10 brought about a tightened system with more robust penalties for leavers. They also introduced tweaks to allow players to engage in competitive play with friends of varying skill levels.
As of now, there has been no official word from Blizzard on addressing the solution durpee leveraged. However, given his standing in the gaming community, many believe it’s only a matter of time before developers take notice. Meanwhile, it’s wise for players to refrain from exploiting this loophole. Overwatch 2’s regulations are in place to curate an orderly gaming atmosphere, and exploiting such bugs could invite unexpected penalties, including bans.
