Overwatch 2 DDoS attack results in launch day server issues

Overwatch 2 DDoS attack results in launch day server woes

Overwatch 2 finally launched today, but it’s been tough to consistently enjoy the game because of long virtual queue lines to start playing and other server issues once you’re actually in a match. According to Activision Blizzard, a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS) attack is to blame for these day-one server woes.

“Unfortunately, we are experiencing a mass DDoS attack on our servers,” Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Ybarra tweeted on October 4 shortly after thanking players for their excitement and apologizing for server issues. “Teams are working hard to mitigate/manage. This is causing a lot of drop/connection issues.”

Unfortunately we are experiencing a mass DDoS attack on our servers. Teams are working hard to mitigate/manage. This is causing a lot of drop/connection issues. https://t.co/4GwrfHEiBE
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) October 4, 2022

Overwatch 2 is a completely online game, so a DDoS attack that targets the game’s servers and is hard to quell is obviously a major issue for both the players and developers. No individual group has taken credit for the DDoS attack at this time, and the server issues are ongoing at the time of writing.

This is a very rough situation for Overwatch 2 to be in for the embattled Activision Blizzard. In 2021, reports of harassment and discrimination all across Activision Blizzard arose, causing player sentiment to turn against the company and developers to walk out and unionize. The fallout of this can still be felt as recently as today when the National Labor Relations Board called out Activision Blizzard for denying union activists raises.

Overwatch 2 is also the first new game from Blizzard following the announcement of Microsoft’s impending acquisition and trying to revive a live service franchise that’s been ignored for a couple of years, so there’s a lot of pressure on this launch that a DDoS attack certainly doesn’t help. Later in the day, Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller tweeted that the team is “seadily making progress,” but also revealed there was a second DDoS attack.

Overwatch 2 is free-to-play and available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

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