Rumor: Blizzard Now Banning "One-Trick" Overwatch Players

There have been troubling signs over the weekend that Blizzard has once again upped the ante in their fight against 'toxic' behavior in Overwatch. The trouble began when streamer Fuey500 was banned for (according to him) simply picking Torbjorn, a character that he picks regardless of team composition. Players who 'main' only a single character are often labeled as one-trick players, short for one trick pony.

@PlayOverwatch Please unban me I am a high elo one trick who does not do anything wrong I am a wholesome boi. Thanks!

— Fuey500 (@Fuey500) November 11, 2017

Since Fuey500's tweet, others have come forward and also claimed to have been banned or suspended for the same offense -- exclusively picking a single character in ranked play. While this story would be easy to dismiss as a bunch of toxic players making excuses, Blizzard's vague response adds some legitimicy to the claim:

We take both sides of the issue very seriously. We believe that players should be able to choose their favorite heroes, but playing as a team (which includes building an effective team composition) is a core part of the Overwatch experience. It’s a delicate balance, and we’re still working on getting it right (and probably always will be).

If you’ve been playing Blizzard games for a while, you’ve probably heard us use the phrase “Play nice; play fair.” It’s like a mantra around the Blizzard campus, and it’s a big part of the way that we approach situations like this. People tend to focus on the “playing fair” part, but they forget about “playing nice.” Sometimes that means switching off at your teammates' request, and sometimes that means working around your teammate’s specialization.

-Josh Engen, Overwatch Community Manager via the official forums

Needless to say, we here at MMOs.com vehemently oppose punishing players for picking a single character. Omer is a notorious one-trick Singed player in League of Legends, and mains Soldier 76 in Overwatch. We took issue with Overwatch's competitive ranking tiers earlier this year, and it seems Blizzard is more committed than ever to turning the once competitive PC multiplayer scene into a safe-space where no one's feels will ever be hurt.

Edit: Another user has posted a messege they received when contesting their 24 hour suspension. It seems to prove that picking a hero that your team doesn't approve of is indeed a bannable offensie:

Edit 2: The Torb 1 trick player was banned for intentionally throwing games. Proof provided at this Reddit thread. Still, based on numerous Blizzard responses it seems like 1 tricking a hero can be bannable.

Further reading: Blizzard's First Response, Second Response