Wrecking Ball banned from ranked play after reports of major bug

Olivia Richman Published 19/06/2019

Overwatch’s 1.37 patch brought some major buffs to Baptiste, McCree, and Orisa, but it also brought on some game-breaking glitches. 

Blizzard has announced that Wrecking Ball is temporarily disabled from competitive play after console players reported that the hamster’s ultimate was causing at least one opponent to disconnect from every match. The Overwatch developer has yet to provide an update on the bug or the hero’s return to ranked play. 

Multiple Xbox players have reported that when a Hammond on their team drops their mines, the game crashes for a random player on the enemy team.

Interestingly, Wrecking Ball was not touched by the buffs and nerfs included in the patch. 

“After seeing this happen in five-plus games, this is the only consistency I have found. Hammond Ultimate plus another Ultimate,” warned a Reddit user. “Do not play Competitive right now.” 

Other Xbox One players chimed in. 

“Holy shit. This is exactly what happened to me. The enemy Hammy mined, and then I primal raged and the game instantly froze/crashed. We lost the match because it took such a long time to get back in. Wow,” a user replied. 

Another Xbox player on the thread stated that he worried enemy teams were exploiting the glitch to win matches in competitive mode. They noted that he played against a lot of Wrecking Balls in a consecutive games, which had led him to this conclusion. 

Other Wrecking Ball-related bugs include his ultimate canceling whichever player attempts to ultimae next. Their ultimate won’t work and the game will crash, whether it be an ally or an enemy hero. Others have reported that the game freezes when the opponent’s Hammond unleashes his bombs.

While many console players had similar stories on the forum, PC players did not seem to be experiencing the same issues. 

Leading up to Blizzard’s hamster ban, many Xbox players were warning their fellow console players to steer clear of competitive. Leaving a competitive match will lead to a penalties, including skill rating losses and even temporary suspensions from ranked play.

It’s unclear if the players who exploited the bug will face any consequences. 

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.

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