Overwatch 2 hit with multiple DDoS hack attacks on launch day

Shields to the front

Typically, the launch of any online Blizzard title is met with incredibly long queues, strained servers, and clogged login sessions, as sure as day follows night, this is to be expected — Unfortunately, yesterday’s launch of shooter sequel Overwatch 2 not only had hundreds of thousands of players to contend with, but the servers were hit with a least two DDoS attacks from a party of hackers.

The free-to-play title experienced connection carnage immediately upon launch, with an initial attack coinciding with thousands upon thousands of players attempting to get back to their world of heroes. As Blizzard developers attempted to steady the ship and reinitialize the service, it is believed that a second DDoS attack also hit the game, forcing the studio to take the servers offline entirely.

We’re steadily making progress on server issues and stability, as well as working through a second DDoS attack. We’re all hands on deck and will continue to work throughout the night. Thank you for your patience – we’ll share more info as it becomes available.

— Aaron Keller (@aaronkellerOW) October 5, 2022

“We’re steadily making progress on server issues and stability, as well as working through a second DDoS attack,” said game director Aaron Keller in an update to Twitter. “We’re all hands on deck and will continue to work throughout the night. Thank you for your patience — we’ll share more info as it becomes available.”

Planned DDoS attacks were extremely common several years ago, when many sites, games, and services were hit repeatedly on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis. A DDoS attack is a maliciously performed attempt to overwhelm a server, flooding it with so much internet traffic that it essentially collapses under the weight of the incoming and outgoing connections. Given that yesterday’s launch represented a major game release for Blizzard, one that would have already been under severe strain, it would not have taken much of a push to tip the sweating servers over and into the brink.

Eager players will have to exercise patience and keep sitting pretty for the time being. Maybe you could play the first game while you waaaa…. oh.

Overwatch 2 is now available as a free-to-play title on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.