Account Suspensions For Non-Participation

[Nerraw]

We’ve just issued a round of account suspensions for players who are frequently reported for AFK/Non-Participation or Intentionally Dying during their matches. This initial wave of suspensions was targeted at a handful of users who have received an extraordinary number of reports over the past 30 days and whose in-game performance data clearly indicates a consistent lack of contribution to their matches. While only a few players have been suspended in each region this time, we anticipate that the number of accounts suspended, or in extreme cases, banned, will increase with future waves as we continue to refine and improve our processes.

Going AFK, refusing to participate, and intentionally dying are behaviors that ruin the experience for everyone else in a match and undermine the spirit of competition that’s essential to Heroes of the Storm. Taking part in such actions will not be tolerated. We encourage you to use the relevant reporting options when you spot players doing these things in your games.


How do you separate bad players that can't help dying from good ones that die on purpose? I used to play non stop but couldn't always tell if there was motive.

So, for the time being, we're focused on the most extreme cases. Imagine a player who spends 70+% of their in-game time dead, with 0 assists/kills, no siege damage dealt, XP earned, etc. Then imagine this player behaves this way in a large majority of their games. It starts to become pretty clear that this player is not only not helping their team, but not contributing elsewhere either.


AFK/non-participation reporting will be more widely misused than abusive chat, no small feat. There are many examples but an easy one to demonstrate is avoiding an objective at level 9 against a level 10 team. I don't have the data but I'd bet I've been reported over a hundred times for that alone. I hope your systems are up for the task or this will end up being just another way for players to exact revenge on one another.

Your example is a good one of players who might misuse reporting options because they disagree with the way you're playing the game, but it sounds like you're actively playing the game and their AFK/NP reports wouldn't result in any action against your account. You may avoid a Tribute fight at level 9 because it's not the right play at the moment, but you're probably also earning XP for your team, contributing to team fights, dealing damage, healing, etc. throughout each game you play.

For players who have received a large number of reports, we're not looking at just one data point/performance metric, or a single game. We're looking at many different stats across the player's match history and even comparing this information with data from a large pool of players to see how it measures up against those who do actively contribute to their games.

We've been pretty conservative with this suspension wave, and as mentioned above, we're working on improving our review and analysis methods so that we can confidently move forward with issuing larger numbers of penalties in the future for those who consistently create a negative play environment.

http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/forum/topic/20747964973

[Deleted]

This should have happened last year and I believe it when I see it. Blizzard's ToC enforcement has been crap over several games for years now. Just added two accounts, who afk'ed in HL this morning both in two matches in a row. Not exactly waiting with bated breath.

[Ryme]

Wonderful news, hope this repeats regularly.

[Amerrol]

Now if only they would perma ban the bad weekend players ruining Ranked.

[Deleted]

Well that's something for higher than platin I guess. Every day I start with 1-2 games were people simply leave after game starts. Then we have the russian roulette, zero English 100% brawl, zero lane and game over after level 4. Then a suicide guy who dies nonstop and blames team into "AFK NOOBS". Doesn't fall under the current extreme they aim with this. And then there are those random drafts, were people already throw the towel by picking ego stuff to play solo. Won't help to filter out 60% of my lose by default games which should be included into their aim "how to improve the game". Sadly there are also so much more players that it would matter if a few thousand would get suspended this way.

What I wrote above is totally normal in <platin. My friends and I experience this day after day. Very frustrating. You cannot play till in the evening where you can queue up together and try to carry.

[TheDestinatus]

We’ve just issued a round of account suspensions for players who are frequently reported for AFK/Non-Participation or Intentionally Dying during their matches. This initial wave of suspensions was targeted at a handful of users who have received an extraordinary number of reports over the past 30 days and whose in-game performance data clearly indicates a consistent lack of contribution to their matches. While only a few players have been suspended in each region this time, we anticipate that the number of accounts suspended, or in extreme cases, banned, will increase with future waves as we continue to refine and improve our processes.

Going AFK, refusing to participate, and intentionally dying are behaviors that ruin the experience for everyone else in a match and undermine the spirit of competition that’s essential to Heroes of the Storm. Taking part in such actions will not be tolerated. We encourage you to use the relevant reporting options when you spot players doing these things in your games.


How do you separate bad players that can't help dying from good ones that die on purpose? I used to play non stop but couldn't always tell if there was motive.

So, for the time being, we're focused on the most extreme cases. Imagine a player who spends 70+% of their in-game time dead, with 0 assists/kills, no siege damage dealt, XP earned, etc. Then imagine this player behaves this way in a large majority of their games. It starts to become pretty clear that this player is not only not helping their team, but not contributing elsewhere either.


AFK/non-participation reporting will be more widely misused than abusive chat, no small feat. There are many examples but an easy one to demonstrate is avoiding an objective at level 9 against a level 10 team. I don't have the data but I'd bet I've been reported over a hundred times for that alone. I hope your systems are up for the task or this will end up being just another way for players to exact revenge on one another.

Your example is a good one of players who might misuse reporting options because they disagree with the way you're playing the game, but it sounds like you're actively playing the game and their AFK/NP reports wouldn't result in any action against your account. You may avoid a Tribute fight at level 9 because it's not the right play at the moment, but you're probably also earning XP for your team, contributing to team fights, dealing damage, healing, etc. throughout each game you play.

For players who have received a large number of reports, we're not looking at just one data point/performance metric, or a single game. We're looking at many different stats across the player's match history and even comparing this information with data from a large pool of players to see how it measures up against those who do actively contribute to their games.

We've been pretty conservative with this suspension wave, and as mentioned above, we're working on improving our review and analysis methods so that we can confidently move forward with issuing larger numbers of penalties in the future for those who consistently create a negative play environment.

http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/forum/topic/20747964973

Hope the are prepared to start refunding money to people with banned accounts. They have absolutely no way of knowing why people are useless at the game and banning accounts for poor performance should be worthy of a lawsuit. If they applied this rule to WoW the majority of users on this website would have had their accounts suspended for being potato level LFR players.

[Sierra85]

They have absolutely no way of knowing why people are useless at the game and banning accounts for poor performance should be worthy of a lawsuit.

when you sign up to the game you agree to blizz terms of service user agreement. they have 100% control. you have no rights.

[TheDestinatus]

when you sign up to the game you agree to blizz terms of service user agreement. they have 100% control. you have no rights.

If that was the case bot creators would be out of business and yet Blizzard is unable to enforce the EULA. They are dealt with on a case by case basis and when you start banning 5 and 6 yo kids because of poor performance the market will turn on you and you'll end up paying for it. They have no right to ban people for poor performance, there is nothing in the agreement that stipulates the quality of the player and provided that they aren't cheating they will have a basis for compensation.

[Gorgodeus]

If that was the case bot creators would be out of business and yet Blizzard is unable to enforce the EULA. They are dealt with on a case by case basis and when you start banning 5 and 6 yo kids because of poor performance the market will turn on you and you'll end up paying for it. They have no right to ban people for poor performance, there is nothing in the agreement that stipulates the quality of the player and provided that they aren't cheating they will have a basis for compensation.

They do enforce the EULA. They ban players that are caught botting. Bot creators have nothing to do with the conversation.

[TheDestinatus]

They do enforce the EULA. They ban players that are caught botting. Bot creators have nothing to do with the conversation.

If that were the case they wouldn't take the bot creators to court and continually lose. They ban the players because they are unable to stop the creators.

[Lollis]

If that was the case bot creators would be out of business and yet Blizzard is unable to enforce the EULA.

If you bot and get caught you are banned. Blizzard's problem with bot creators is that the botting programs have legality issues in certain countries which makes it difficult for Blizzard to stop them. It has nothing to do with being able to enforce the EULA.

EULA: End User License Agreement. If you went by that alone, completely disregarding any other laws that may or may not exist. Bot creators are completely within their right to exist. It is the bot user that is at fault.

[TheDestinatus]

If you bot and get caught you are banned. Blizzard's problem with bot creators is that the botting programs have legality issues in certain countries which makes it difficult for Blizzard to stop them. It has nothing to do with being able to enforce the EULA.

As I said above, they ban the players because they are unable to stop the creators. They don't benefit by reducing their player base and if they had the ability to ban all bot creators they wouldn't have to be concerned with cheats. They ban the players to punish them in an attempt to discourage other people from using the software they are incapable of stopping. If it was as simple as just banning people that cheat they wouldn't bother taking Honorbuddy to court over and over.

[Deleted]

Hope the are prepared to start refunding money to people with banned accounts. They have absolutely no way of knowing why people are useless at the game and banning accounts for poor performance should be worthy of a lawsuit. If they applied this rule to WoW the majority of users on this website would have had their accounts suspended for being potato level LFR players.

If that was the case bot creators would be out of business and yet Blizzard is unable to enforce the EULA. They are dealt with on a case by case basis and when you start banning 5 and 6 yo kids because of poor performance the market will turn on you and you'll end up paying for it. They have no right to ban people for poor performance, there is nothing in the agreement that stipulates the quality of the player and provided that they aren't cheating they will have a basis for compensation.

Don't be silly. The EULA & ToC you agreed to make it exceedingly clear that the account and anything on it belongs to Activision-Blizzard. You pay for the right to use it and this right can be suspended and/or revoked at any given time. In the USA any discussion should stop right there, in the EU there were verdicts that people can be banned on first incident for breaking the law (i.e. trying to organize a DDoS attack or yelling 'Heil Hitler' in some countries), but need one prior warning before a ban for just breaking game rules.

But let us not stop you from suing ATVI over a Murky skin, just make sure you post how it goes...

[Gorgodeus]

If that were the case they wouldn't take the bot creators to court and continually lose. They ban the players because they are unable to stop the creators.

The EULA does not have anything to with bot creators. Hence why they have to try to use the courts against them, which does not happen in certain countries. So your argument that the EULA should put bot makers out of business is incorrect.

[Dizzeeyooo]

good to see they are taking some action against people that consistantly ruin games, shame their focus will always gravitate towards punishing "abusive" language over punishing horrible gameplay but it is a Blizzard game after all so have to expect non stop pandering towards idiots

[Zelendria]

This should have happened last year and I believe it when I see it. Blizzard's ToC enforcement has been crap over several games for years now. Just added two accounts, who afk'ed in HL this morning both in two matches in a row. Not exactly waiting with bated breath.

"We've been pretty conservative with this suspension wave"

2 games.. Srs?

As I said above, they ban the players because they are unable to stop the creators. They don't benefit by reducing their player base and if they had the ability to ban all bot creators they wouldn't have to be concerned with cheats. They ban the players to punish them in an attempt to discourage other people from using the software they are incapable of stopping. If it was as simple as just banning people that cheat they wouldn't bother taking Honorbuddy to court over and over.

Of course they benefit from banning cheaters. If they don't, the majority playerbase that doesn't cheat would leave instead.

It's also got nothing to do with discouraging other people either. The game is F2P so nobody cheating would give a flying hoot at the account being banned, just create another.
Again it comes down to the majority who don't cheat and want a fair game.

[ttak82]

good to see they are taking some action against people that consistantly ruin games, shame their focus will always gravitate towards punishing "abusive" language over punishing horrible gameplay but it is a Blizzard game after all so have to expect non stop pandering towards idiots

I encourage everyone to report bots and afkers. If someone says AFK and and goes still/stands at base I report them. I am aware of good and bad abathurs ofc, but theres plenty of people who just gg afk and perform no activity.