Blizzard’s trying to clean up Twitch chat by tying it to Battle.net accounts

Since the earliest days of the Overwatch League, Blizzard has had a tough time getting fans, and even pro players, to behave themselves in Twitch chat. Whether it was spamming emotes or simply posting offensive messages, every week of the Overwatch League meant more and more bans. However, as we head into the league’s second season, Blizzard is trying combat Twitch chat toxicity through a new program that it will first test during Overwatch Contenders.

Contenders, the semi-professional division of the Overwatch League, hosts its own broadcasts on a Twitch channel separate from Blizzard’s pro league. It’s on this channel that Blizzard will run its first tests of a new chat moderation system.

Viewers who want to participate in Twitch chat during Overwatch Contenders streams will need to link their Battle.net accounts with their Twitch accounts. The restriction, Blizzard hopes, will lead to “a more positive viewing experience.”

While it’s clear that Blizzard hopes that this new program will help clean up the Contenders chat, and by extension the amateur and pro scene, it’s unclear how exactly it will do that. The post itself makes no mention of possible punishment, like chat restrictions or bans, let alone any connection those punishments might have over a user’s Battle.net account. While Blizzard hasn’t announced specifics about moderation, it’s likely that more information about its new program will be revealed after it’s been tested.

This new chat program will roll out its first test during the Overwatch Contenders season three quarterfinals which run from Dec. 28 to Jan. 12, 2019.