Overwatch League releases list of rule breakers

Olivia Richman Published 07/02/2019

When it comes to new Overwatch League players, Blizzard is making a list and checking it twice.

As new players and teams were announced for the 2019 season, the Overwatch League office conducted a full review of each player’s conduct and took appropriate disciplinary action. While each pro’s case is different, the league office does follow an official set of rules for competition and conduct.

Some rule highlights include not engaging in any form of harassment or discrimination, not placing bets on any games or matches, not exploiting bugs in the game, and not getting involved with scandals. But the most common infraction in the Overwatch League thus far has been account boosting.

Typically done in exchange for a monetary fee, higher ranking players will quickly climb the competitive ranks on a less skilled player’s account. This was a major source of drama going into Season 1, as Philadelphia Fusion couldn’t compete in the preseason because of Su-min “Sado” Kim’s 30-game suspension for account boosting. Despite standing behind their roster, Fusion faced much ridicule from the league community.

But it seems that many new players haven’t learned from this early Overwatch League blunder.

So far, seven competitors sit on Blizzard’s wall of shame. Four of the culprits are listed for account boosting, resulting in one and two-day suspensions. Offenders  include Florida Mayhem’s Damon “Apply” Conti and Hangzhou Spark’s Shilong “Krystal” Cai.

Toronto Defian’ts Se-Hyun “Neko” Park received a three-game suspension for selling an account and allegedly misleading the investigation that followed. This suspension was given prior to Neko joining the Defiant, but the Defiant have stated they support the Overwatch League’s decision.

The biggest penalty on the naughty list is a five-game suspension given to Riku “Ripa” Toivanen for throwing matches in ranked play and toxic behavior.

“In the past, I’ve behaved in ways that don’t meet my own standards,” Ripa said. “Now that I’m a professional player, I understand that there are important responsibilities to my teammates and the community.”

Blizzard has stated that the Overwatch League office will continue to evaluate infractions and take action as needed throughout the season.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile

Read Also

Dota 2

A Polymarket trader won $477K on 1Win Essence II predictions Michael Hassall A Polymarket trader has reportedly received nearly $477,000 after correctly predicting the outcome of one of the playoff matches during 1Win Essence II, a major Dota 2 tournament that wrapped up Wednesday (Aug. 5). According to Predictbook, a prediction market tracking and news site, one of the top traders on Polymarket purchased thousands of shares in 1win to beat BetBoom Team in the 1win Essence playoffs, at an average of ...

Twitch

MrBeast Gives TeamWater Update, Calls Out Adin Ross Khizar Mundia Adin Ross collaborated with Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson during the YouTuber's first-ever Kick livestream to raise money for Team Water in August 2025. Since then, Ross and others have questioned how the funds have been used and what progress has been made. MrBeast has now shared an update while calling out Ross. MrBeast’s first Kick stream was a charity broadcast for the TeamWater project, and he collaborated with both Félix “xQc” ...

News

The Legend of Zelda Movie Casts Ganondorf and Impa; Who Will the Late Sam Neill Play? Zachary Roberts The Legend of Zelda has already finished filming, but the general public knows very little about who's in the upcoming live-action movie. Fans have long known that Benjamin Evan Ainsworth is playing Link, and Bo Bragason is portraying Princess Zelda. Other than that, it's been all leaks, rumors, and fan theories. Well, the cast officially got a little bigger this week, with the reveal of Ganondorf, Impa, and the movie, ...

Kick

Kick Rolls Out More Updates, Including Chat Ban Appeals Khizar Mundia Livestreaming platform Kick has been working on multiple new updates and improving its mobile app recently, with the latest changes including chat ban appeals. Kick has historically been creator-focused, but the platform is seemingly shifting to a more revenue-focused approach, as it has introduced ads and also stopped giving creators high-money deals. However, the platform is still developing new features and improving existing ones to provide a better user experience. Some ...

Twitch

iShowSpeed Nominated for Esports Streamer of the Year 2026: Can He Complete a Three-Peat? Khizar Mundia Darren “iShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. has won the Esports Streamer of the Year award in the two previous years, and he has been nominated for the third time in 2026, giving him the chance to complete a three-peat. 2026 has been a massively successful year for iShowSpeed, as he became one of the first creators in the world to livestream the FIFA World Cup. He was also featured in the FIFA ...

GTA

Kai Cenat Reveals GTA 6 Marathon — Here’s What We Know Khizar Mundia GTA 6 is set to release on November 19, 2026, and streamer Kai Cenat has announced a marathon where he will be playing the game to completion. GTA 6 is poised to be one of the biggest games ever made, with a massive player base, and several streamers have revealed intentions of playing the game live. Kick streamer Adin Ross has gone as far as to state that people can ...

Twitch

Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed’s Marathon Trailer Released: Format, Date, and More Khizar Mundia Twitch star Kai Cenat and massive IRL YouTuber iShowSpeed have released the trailer for their upcoming gaming marathon, revealing the game they’ll play, the starting date, and other key details. Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed previously collaborated in a 2024 Minecraft marathon stream that lasted for a couple of days and reportedly generated almost 19 million watch hours. Fans have been eagerly awaiting another marathon, and Kai Cenat announced that he’s ...