Changes to reduce the frequency of Overwatch draws are coming 'very soon'

Personally, I don't have a problem with draws in competitive events. Two teams clash, they put the pedal to the metal, and in the end neither is able to gain the upper hand and they both go away mad. It happens. My feeling is that it gives both sides incentive to figure out how to gain an edge the next time they meet. But plenty of other people hate them. That's why we have silly shootouts in hockey, and it's also why Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan said changes are coming that will help reduce their frequency in the game.

"We have changes coming to the PTR very soon. These changes will greatly diminish the number of draws. More details inc. extremely soon," Kaplan wrote in the Overwatch forums. "We're also working on reducing Capture the Flag draws and elimination draws but those changes are further out."

"Extremely soon" is obviously a subjective measure, as no changes have actually made their way to the PTR yet, but for people who hate draws (and based on the comments, there does seem to be an awful lot of them) it's good to know that the wheels are turning. I've emailed Blizzard to ask about what sort of changes it has in mind. We'll let you know when something happens.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.