Players who have been banned from Overwatch recently for no reason shouldn’t panic just yet. This is a bug that is known by Blizzard, who are currently working on a fix for it.
This rare bug looks to have made an impact on roughly 200 accounts, banning them from Competitive Play for the season’s entirity and effectively eating up all of their skill ratings. This is happening despite these innocent players having no history of qutting early or being kicked for being idle. The bug can be triggered by leaving a competitive match just before it has loaded, in which the screen gets stuck and is unable to load.
Luckily, not that many players had been affected, though this meant that it was hard to determine whether or not it was actually a bug. This however was a known issue by Blizzard, and they are currently working on fixing it. A recent statement from Blizzard reads:
“We recently identified a bug that, in extremely rare cases, can cause players to lose their skill rating progress and receive a seasonal ban from Competitive Play without any prior penalties for leaving early or being kicked for inactivity. This bug is a high priority for our team, and we’re working on a fix to prevent further instances of it occurring as we speak.”
Blizzard has confirmed that they will be removing the bans given to those affected, and restoring their skill rating. The statement signed off by apologizing to those affected:
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this bug has caused and are grateful for your patience and ongoing reports.”