'Overwatch' News: Losing Players Could Face Rank Demotions in Season 6
"Overwatch" players who can't keep wins coming could soon face rank demotions.
"Overwatch's" next season of competitive play officially begins in a few days, bringing in major changes to the game. In season 6, all gold, silver, diamond and platinum players will be demoted to a lower rank if they are not able to maintain their rating. Every time one player loses a match, the game will take note of his or her skill rating and tier. Those players who score below the minimum for the last five matches will be saying goodbye to that tier.
Reports note that players will never be demoted after winning a game. Even though they are very close to being demoted, they will not be placed in a lower tier so long as they keep the wins coming. "After a loss, the game will check to see what a player's current tier and skill rating are — if their skill rating has not exceeded the minimum for their current tier for the past five games, they will be demoted," said the game's community manager Lylirra.
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Meanwhile, those who have Competitive Point gains at the end of season 6 will still get the highest possible amount. This means players who end with lower points than when they started can still expect to receive the highest Competitive Points for whatever their highest rank was for the entire season.
In addition, Blizzard announced that the upcoming competitive season will be much shorter than expected. To make the action more exciting for everyone, season 6 will last for two months instead of the usual three. The decision to reduce the length of this season, according to Kaplan, makes it feel less of a grind. This means points are automatically adjusted due to the shorter season 6.
As for the issue surrounding skill placement and skill decay, Blizzard assured fans that it will be addressed. From the start, the game will now place people at their proper levels.
The "Overwatch" competitive season 6 begins on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 5:00 p.m. PDT or 8:00 p.m. EDT.
Developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, "Overwatch" is available for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
