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Blizzard Is Now Monitoring YouTube For Toxic Overwatch Players
Overwatch, a team-based shooter about working together, isn’t always the friendliest of places. From random quitters to that one guy who won’t stop calling me a cuck, players often find ways to be toxic. To combat the issue, Blizzard is now banning players misbehaving on social media. In a developer update video yesterday, the game’s…
By Heather Alexandra Published January 26, 2018 -
Esports
Fifth Maps In Pro Overwatch Are Good As Hell
Overwatch League matches are played across four maps, and usually, the result is a win or loss in those four maps. More often than not it’s a 4-0 sweep, or a decisive 3-1. You can even tie on certain maps, leading to score lines like week 1’s Dallas v. Seoul game that ended 2-1. But…
By Eric Van Allen Published January 25, 2018 -
Esports
Fan Of Overwatch League’s Worst Team Buys $100 Of Skins After Losing Bet
Overwatch League’s first season is only a few weeks old, but already, a pecking order has begun to form. At the top, there’s Seoul Dynasty, the dynamite Korean roster that hasn’t lost a single match. Way down at the bottom, meanwhile, are the Shanghai Dragons, who have been grinding their wrists and keyboards into powder…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 25, 2018 -
Esports
Overwatch Pro Flips Bird When He Thought No One Was Watching
Last night, London Spitfire DPS player Joon-yeong “Profit” Park shot a middle finger at the camera right after he got brought out as a substitution in the team’s second game against SF Shock. But Profit didn’t think anybody would see it. Update: Profit has issued a fantastic apology. Enjoy it below. Stylosa, who serves as…
By Maddy Myers Published January 25, 2018 -
Esports
Overwatch League Commissioner Just Hasn’t ‘Gotten Around’ To Posting Code Of Conduct
Overwatch League has a code of conduct, but no, you can’t see it, at least not until league commissioner Nate Nanzer gets around to putting it online, which he still hasn’t done two weeks into the league’s inaugural season. “We just haven’t gotten around to it,” Nanzer told the Telegraph. “I don’t know the exact…
By Maddy Myers Published January 24, 2018 -
EsportsRacist Jokes Keep Showing Up In Overwatch League Broadcasts
On the opening night of Overwatch League, a Dallas Fuel fan at the Blizzard Arena hoisted a sign with the alt-right meme frog Pepe on it, and had it confiscated by event staff before the night was over. But that was only the first meme with racist associations to worm its way adjacent to Blizzard’s…
Maddy Myers & Nathan Grayson Published January 24, 2018 -
Spawn Camped Overwatch Player Sneaks Away, Wins Match
Overwatch’s quick play mode can be the pits, especially when your team is hopelessly outmatched. Sometimes the other team rolls you so hard that you end up stuck in spawn, barely even able to play the game, let alone win. Faced with such a situation, one player took matters into their own hands. After a…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 23, 2018 -
Despite Its Glamour, Overwatch‘s Latest Map Feels Familiar
Today, Blizzard dropped Overwatch’s latest map, a literal carnival of Blizzard references. “Blizzard World” is a theme park about Hearthstone, Starcraft, Heroes of the Storm and Warcraft. Playing it feels a lot like being invited to loud, garish party that you leave feeling just okay. Putting aside cute easter eggs, like a spawn point designed…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published January 23, 2018 -
CultureThe Internet Reacts To D.va’s New Skin
Blizzard is dropping a ton of new skins and a new map for Overwatch today, but D.va’s new cat-themed skin has already captured the internet’s heart. D.va already has a lot of great skins, but hey, I’m not complaining. I mean, her mech has a tail on it now! That’s worth the price of admission.…
By Gita Jackson Published January 23, 2018 -
CultureWidowmaker Player Is Ice Cold
Today on Highlight Reel we have snipers without mercy, D&D cheaters, World War 1 tactics and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Catch up…
By Chris Person Published January 22, 2018 -
Esports
South Korean Overwatch Team Lunatic-Hai Disbands
Lunatic-Hai announced yesterday that it would be disbanding and leaving the Overwatch competitive scene. In a statement (h/t InvenGlobal) the team says it was “difficult to face the radical changes within and outside Overwatch.” “We couldn’t be certain of consistent investment for the organization and the business,” wrote director Tae-Su Kim. “And we couldn’t bring…
By Eric Van Allen Published January 20, 2018 -
Esports
Overwatch Pro Suspended For Saying Gay Rival Would Enjoy Sucking A ‘Fat Cock’ [UPDATE]
Dallas Fuel player Félix “xQc” Lengyel has found himself in hot water once again, this time for directing an insensitive insult at a player for the Houston Outlaws, shortly after the Outlaws swept Fuel 4-0 yesterday afternoon. Lengyel has been suspended and fined. During a stream yesterday evening, Lengyel took issue with Outlaws tank Austin…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 19, 2018 -
Esports
Overwatch Pro Loves Mercy Despite His Teammates Who Can’t Stand Her
There is at least one Overwatch pro who enjoys the character Mercy, even with her many controversial makeovers. Mikias “Snow” Yohannes, support player for Boston Uprising, stands by the controversial healer. “I think I would be the only support player that will tell you I actually enjoy playing Mercy,” he told Compete. What’s more, all…
By Maddy Myers Published January 19, 2018 -
Esports
Nearly Half Of All Overwatch League Matches So Far Have Been 4-0 Sweeps
Of last night’s three Overwatch League matches, two were complete blowouts that left no doubt as to which team was leaps, bounds, and jetpack boosts ahead of the other. The evening’s first match was a showdown between my dear orange-clad boys in SF Shock and the also-orange (but a worse orange) Philadelphia Fusion. The match…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 18, 2018 -
Esports
Overwatch League’s Dallas Fuel Lets Players Be Themselves, Even When That Causes Trouble
Last month, Overwatch pro Félix “xQc” Lengyel found himself apologizing profusely into a video camera from atop an accidental throne of cardboard boxes. It was not his finest hour, but in some ways, it’s just part of the job. Dallas Fuel is the closest thing to a star-studded lineup you’ll find in Blizzard’s fresh-from-the-incubation-tube Overwatch…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 17, 2018 -
Esports
Teenage Overwatch League Player’s Dad Pulled Him Out Of School So He Could Go Pro
Overwatch pro Lucas “Mendokusaii” Hakansson wasn’t expecting to drop out of school. The plan, originally, was for him to take a year off—not all that uncommon in his homeland of Sweden—to see if he could get good enough to go pro. One day, though, Hakansson’s dad Henrik met with the school’s administrators. “He didn’t ask…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 16, 2018 -
CultureThis Car Ain’t Right
Today on Highlight Reel we have weird cars, strange video game posture, unique Zelda flying techniques, and much more! Watch the video then talk about your favorite highlight in the comments below. Be sure to check out, like, and share the original videos via the links below. Subscribe to Kotaku on YouTube for more! Catch…
By Chris Person Published January 16, 2018 -
Esports
Overwatch Players Are Imitating Their Favorite League Stars
Everybody I know who plays Overwatch’s pistol-slinging cowboy McCree is coveting the digital skin worn by Do-hyeon “Pine” Kim, the world class McCree pro who stole everybody’s heart last week in his debut Overwatch League match. It’s a dreary blue skin repping New York’s Excelsior team but wearing it is aspirational. If I dress like…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published January 16, 2018 -
Overwatch Player Uses Doomfist To Obliterate Pharah And Mercy From Orbit
Doomfist may not be able to fly, but he sure can fall with style. Even in the techno-magical cartoon world of Overwatch, what goes up must come down. Player wahw_ow, however, decided that the laws of gravity needed assistance in grounding a pesky Pharah/Mercy combo, and, in the heat of a gridlocked team fight on…
By Nathan Grayson Published January 12, 2018