Summary

• Leaving matches in Overwatch 2 can incur penalties, such as waiting times and reduced skill ratings.
• A Twitch streamer named Mason “durpee” Kuehne discovered a flaw permitting players to exit matches without repercussions.
• While players demand stricter penalties, Blizzard has not yet addressed this exploit.

An Overwatch 2 player has encountered a loophole that permits them to abandon a match without facing penalties. As is the case with many competitive games, Blizzard aims to maintain fairness in the Overwatch 2 environment. To facilitate this, the developers enforce penalties for toxic behavior.

Players who leave two or three matches from their last 20 unraked games face penalties that can include wait times of 2 minutes—extending to 10 minutes, 2 hours, and up to 48 hours with repeated offenses. In competitive mode, the penalties become harsher. Players cannot initiate a new match until the one they deserted concludes. Repeated offenses could lead to more significant waiting times for joining competitive matches, as well as a decline in their skill rating. There’s also a risk of being banned for the season, losing rewards, or even permanently banned from competitive play. Nonetheless, a flaw in this system has surfaced recently.

Durpee’s Discovery

Mason Kuehne, popularly known as “durpee” on Twitch, demonstrated that quitting an Overwatch 2 match did not result in any consequence. He posted a video where he plays as Reinhardt, temporarily leaves the match to add a friend, and upon returning, he sees the death replay of his character, showing no indication that he had exited the match.

In a series of now-deleted tweets, he noted that this revelation took place during a 6v6 match, and even 10 minutes after its conclusion, he hadn’t faced any penalties or skill rating losses.

Blizzard’s Attempts to Counteract Leaving Matches

Despite measures to deter players from abandoning matches in Overwatch 2, this troubling behavior continues to disturb the player base, which frequently calls for stricter penalties. Adjustments have been made over time: during Season 4, the developers intensified repercussions for players quitting competitive matches. The current management system was established at the launch of Season 10, aiming to inflict punishments more severely on those who leave matches.

Thus far, Blizzard has not acted on the exploit that durpee uncovered. However, as a notable figure in the community, players believe that the matter should reach the developers soon. It’s worth noting that players should refrain from exploiting this loophole, as Overwatch 2 could impose bans at any moment.