Blizzard removes offensive custom Overwatch 2 mode, working to improve content moderation
"Explicit content has absolutely no place in our game"
An upsetting and offensive user-made mode in Overwatch 2 was discovered recently. It was shared via Twitter by a mother attempting to warn other parents. The mode in question is titled “Sexual Harassment Simulator” and uses Overwatch 2’s in-game mechanics and some additional scripting to simulate disturbing acts of violence against women. You can see a few screenshots just of the mode’s text descriptions via streamer and comedian Brian Limond below:
When alerted to this mode’s existence, Blizzard went ahead and had it removed from their in-game listings, giving the following statement to PC Gamer:
“Inappropriate or explicit content has absolutely no place in our game. 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.”
Unfortunately, it seems that the mode is currently still accessible via a 5-digit code, although it no longer appears when searching in-game. It is unknown whether or not the users responsible for the mode were banned or otherwise punished, and no other specific actions have been announced in regard to strengthening the game’s moderation system.
Hopefully, Blizzard takes this matter seriously enough to enhance their filters and prevent more modes like this cropping up in the future. If you have kids, you might want to be especially careful in observing what kind of content they’re interacting with in Overwatch 2.
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