When it comes to online games, trolls and toxic players are an unfortunate reality. This is why developers have introduced reporting tools in which they can report players for bad behavior, or in some cases allow players to deal with it themselves by kicking players out of groups and so on.Unfortunately while this feature was designed to be used for good, some players have abused it by trolling players with kicks and reports, and Blizzard has decided that they need to change it. In a post on the Overwatch forums, the game’s director Jeff Kaplan revealed that they are looking to revamp the reporting system to make it less easy to be abused.
According to Kaplan, “It’s good to hear discussion around this topic and we’re just as concerned about it as you guys are. Our first step is reviewing our current reporting system. This is well underway and we have some changes to the design that we think will help. Once we can update the reporting design, we are also going to internally review all of our policies, including punishments.”
As to when this will be implemented, there is no set date yet, although Kaplan does note that he wish it could be faster, presumably for the sake of players and ensuring that Overwatch is a safe and fun game for all. “I wish this was moving faster but at least it is making active progress.” Until then we guess players will just have to remain patient.