Overwatch: Quitting penalty in Competitive Mode to be severe

The company just opened up the Public Test Region (PTR) for North America that’s meant to let players test incoming patches and features in order to provide Blizzard with feedback before they hit the general public. Competitive Mode is one of the things being tested in the PTR, and gamers have noticed that the current iteration includes a severe penalty for leaving games early.

Before we continue, please note that this could change. The whole point of the PTR is that Blizzard can gather feedback and alter their plans. If the community hates this severe quitting penalty, Blizzard could change it. With that in mind, here’s the deal.

A screenshot of the warning players receive for quitting early too often in Competitive Play made its way to the Overwatch subreddit. Here it is.

In case you’re on a device that makes reading that text hard, here’s what it says:

Warning – Penalties for Leaving

Repeatedly leaving games will result in a 75% penalty to XP earned. Additionally, you can be suspended from Competitive Play for increasing periods of time, up to receiving a ban for the entire season.

I’m all for it, honestly. Competitive Mode is meant to be serious, and that means the penalty for repeatedly quitting when things aren’t going your way should be severe. Blizzard shouldn’t (and like won’t) apply these drastic measures to Quick Play. That makes sense. In Competitive Play, though? Totally warranted.

What do you think? Do you find yourself quitting games early often enough for this to matter?