2019 has just begun, and we already have some huge news coming out of the Overwatch realm. Blizzard just announced that they banned/suspended 18,188 South Korean Overwatch offenders in one fell swoop.

That number wasn’t a typo.

These players were flagged for offensive language, harassment, intentional feeding, being AFK — you name it. The bizarreness doesn’t stop there, as Blizzard shared the names of all banned accounts on their forums.

It’s not rare to see game developers ban players flagged for toxicity. In fact, it’s something that doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should. But to see almost twenty thousand people banned, in a region many deem as the most competitive, is downright shocking.

The number is so big that it doesn’t even compute when you hear it.

There’s a ton of in-game toxicity in Overwatch, and it’s an issue that has plagued the game since the very beginning. Frankly, it’s a problem with every esport game. Because Overwatch is so team-focused, even a single troll on your team can quickly lead to a defeat.

With so many bans, there are a couple of key questions that have to be raised — how will this affect the Korean Overwatch scene? Overwatch is a paid game and banning almost twenty thousand paying customers is not as easy as, say, banning twenty thousand players for various misdemeanors in a free-to-play title.

By removing toxic players, Blizzard is doing everything in their power to make Overwatch as accessible of a game as possible, and it’s working to a certain extent. They’re proud of the fact that competitive games are games are turning less toxic as time goes on, but these moves could have far-reaching effects.

The fact that they’re banning Overwatch offenders that share their toxic highlights and gameplay on YouTube and Twitch is great, but it echoes George Orwell’s “1984.” And it’s not like the community is sending them extreme examples — Blizzard is searching for them on their own.

That’s highly commendable overall, and while no one is questioning their determination, perhaps it’s taking things too far. Blizzard strives to create and foster a positive, friendly in-game environment, and this is definitely a step in the right direction. But in a scenario where they’re judge, jury, and executioner, you have to get a bit worried.

This is just the latest (and most noticeable) example of Blizzard’s crusade against Overwatch toxicity. There’s a long road ahead, and even though their approach might raise some eyebrows, it’s still a proactive attitude that’s worthy of the highest praise. Maybe this is exactly what Overwatch needed. Blizzard wants to make a point, and they weren’t going to mince words.

Or actions.

In any case, this huge wave of bans should serve as a reminder to everyone playing Overwatch that what you do in-game can have consequences. Knowing that should decrease toxicity almost by default, which is definitely a great thing.