Overwatch 2 is set to make a massive change to the voice chat system. In this game, Blizzard will record a player’s voice chat logs while playing a game. This is an unprecedented move for any video game, and Blizzard is set to go full force in enforcing it. But why are they keeping voice logs? Here’s everything you need to know about why Overwatch 2 records your voice chat.
Can You Turn Off Voice Recording in Overwatch 2?
Overwatch 2 will record voice chat in-game to help identify disruptive, insensitive and dishonest players and take action against them. This will be done through an automated service (with minimal human intervention in some special cases) that uses voice-to-text technology to transcribe a player’s words.
Once the transcription is complete, Blizzard will use this to identify harmful language, and the audio file will be deleted. The algorithm is also said to be able to act contextually: it understands the difference between a player shouting a curse word in excitement or using a slur in a derogatory way against another player.
Currently, it doesn’t appear there will be any ability to turn this feature off. Blizzard seems set on trying to ensure the safety of players and crack down on cheating by making this a permanent part of the game. The only way players will be able to skirt around the rules and chat in a system that won’t keep such logs will be to use outside chat services, such as Discord. Naturally, Blizzard will not have access to these chat logs, and will not have the power to enact bans in those ways.
That’s all you need to know about why Overwatch 2 records your voice chat. While you get settled in for the game’s release this week, check out how the game will run with Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card.
