Blizzard responds as DDoS attack causes Overwatch 2 server disconnect errors at launch

Michael Gwilliam
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Overwatch 2 is finally here, but its launch day has been ruined by a massive DDoS attack that has pounded the servers.

On October 4, Overwatch 2, the long-awaited sequel to Blizzard’s hero shooter went live as a free-to-play title ushering in a new era of gameplay.

Sadly, the launch hasn’t exactly gone off without a hitch as players from all over the world have reported difficulties loading up the game, match disconnects, and plenty of other errors.

Luckily, these problems should be resolved soon with Blizzard explaining what’s going wrong in a post on the official forums.

Overwatch 2 responds to server disconnect errors

On Twitter, Blizzard Customer Support responded to concerned fans by saying they’re aware of the situation.

“We’re aware that some players are encountering an Unexpected Server Error message when attempting to sign in. This is actively being worked on. Thank you for your patience!” they wrote.

Blizzard President Mike Ybarra further explained that the culprit seems to be a DDoS attack on the servers.

“Unfortunately we are experiencing a mass DDoS attack on our servers. Teams are working hard to mitigate/manage. This is causing a lot of drop/connection issues,” he said.

On the forums, Community Manager Jodie provided a list of known issues including some problems players may not have even known about.

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Overwatch 2 isn’t working for quite a few players.

“Some players who merged their PC and console accounts are seeing an “Unexpected Server Error” and “Some players are experiencing server disconnects” were two of the main issues listed.

However, they did provide one big solution for players who have their required phone number already saved on another account.

“Using a number that is already in use on another account can leave the client in an unusable state. If you encounter this, close the title, log into the affected Battle Net account via web browser and change the number to one that is unique,” Blizzard advised.

Hours later and Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller provided a small update on the ongoing server issues. Allegedly, Blizzard is dealing with not one but two DDoS attacks. “We’re steadily making progress on server issues and stability,” he said. “We’re all hands on deck and will continue to work throughout the night.”

Hopefully, Blizzard can get the issues under control and everything can join in on the new Overwatch 2 fun on both console and PC.

About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam