Overwatch 2 will now record and transcribe team chats to identify toxicity

Overwatch 2 might record your team chat if you're reported by other players

Overwatch 2 has had a bit of a troubled launch, but Blizzard is determined to improve the safety friendliness of its in-game lobbies and is now trialing automatic moderators that will transcribe your party chat.

These automatic moderators are being deployed in hopes of cracking down on harmful behavior, such as insults and slurs uttered in the in-game chat. For now it will only be active on PC.

This follows news that Overwatch 2 will be suspended in China.

Activision Blizzard, Microsoft

When someone reports a player for abusive behavior, the in-game party chat will be recorded, and then automatically transcribed. The transcription is then scanned for words and phrases that violate the in-game content filter, and if an infraction is found, the player will be banned. Of course, how effective or accurate it is remains to be seen.

It is part of Blizzard’s “Defense Matrix Initiative,” which has only rolled out in select regions thus far. It’s only applying to public voice channels, so if you’re chatting with friends in a private chat, you can say whatever you wish.

If your account is part of this trial, then you will get a notification upon entering a voice chat for the first time once it is active. For privacy reasons, all of this is done automatically without a human listening to your conversations. The original voice clip will be deleted after transcription.