Overwatch Confirmed To Give Lower Rankings At Start Of Competitive Season

If you feel like you aren't quite getting the rank that you think you deserve in Overwatch's [...]

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(Photo: Blizzard Entertainment)

If you feel like you aren't quite getting the rank that you think you deserve in Overwatch's competitive scene, there may actually be some truth in the claim. The Overwatch team recently explained why competitive rankings at the start of each season do represent a lowered score of around a few hundred points.

The justification of this artificial alteration of competitive rankings comes from a talk that Overwatch principal designer Scott Mercer had with Kotaku about the possibility that rankings were lowered during the start of each season. Many players have made claims over the seasons that they haven't been justly rewarded with their post-promotional game ranking, and Mercer confirmed that the skill ratings are indeed lowered around roughly 200 points at the beginning of each season.

Some good news concerning the lower scores is that, even if you are placed lower than you think you deserve, there's a way for you to catch up to where you think you should be during your first couple of matches after receiving your ranking. Mercer added that the first 40 or 50 games that you play at the start of the season will reward you with a bit more SR than they'd typically net, meaning that you can make your way back up to where you belong at a quickened pace so that you can attain the rank you deserve.

But why alter the rankings at all? Mercer says that it's a way to give players a sense of progress during their climb.

"We do that to give you a sense that you are improving over time," he said.

He went on to say that he knows how rough it is to push through your placement and be greeted with a lower rank, but that the decision is geared towards making the overall experience more enjoyable.

"A lot of game designers make trade-offs between varying goals that sometimes work at opposites," he said. "This is one where we made the decision to lower you initially so, as you play, you have a more positive experience."

Overwatch recently kicked off its fifth competitive season, and with it comes the chance to net more unique rewards and work towards the golden gun status symbols.

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