Overwatch 2’s removal of scorecards and “on fire” indicators is a bummer

Evolution of OverwatchTo its final form, which was free to play, many aspects of the original game such as maps, modes, and loot boxes are gone. Overwatch 2 has made positive changes of its own and welcomed new heroes into the fold, and I’m realistic enough to know that certain decisions — the in-game shop full of pricey skins, for example — will never be reversed.

However, Blizzard must bring it back. Overwatch’s post-game scorecards for its semi-sequel, a small reward for a game that, so far, has felt less rewarding.

New players OverwatchThe original game offered a screen after each round with four cards. Each card highlighted an exceptional player achievement. In-game achievements such as long kill streaks or large amounts of healing or damage were recognized and rewarded. Players could then give kudos to one of the players, which admittedly served little purpose other than saying, “Hey, nice job.” Sometimes, the scorecard offered an opportunity to show admiration for an opposing team member, who impressively and respectfully stomped your ass.

The post-game scorecards were arguably redundant, sandwiched between a Play of the Game highlight clip and the option to “endorse” another player on your team. Both those options are still available. Overwatch 2The latter can be found here. Blizzard also removed the post-game gold medals from their scoreboard. This feature was only visible to a single player, and feed into the scoreboard screen. This was a wise decision.

Post-game scorecards are not available. OverwatchAnother purpose was served: These events were an opportunity to spotlight team member performance in a way that wasn’t easily overlooked by the chaos of a game. The support person who escorted a payload across the map may be lost to the frontline tank guards. DPS heroes sometimes forget the names of their teammate who keeps them hydrated throughout the entire game. Each player can track his own stats better in the games of Overwatch 2, calling out a teammate’s exemplary healing, damage dealing, or (most importantly) dedication to the map’s objective was a great way to say “thanks” in the original Overwatch.

This was a great help, particularly in determining who I endorse to honor their match performance. High endorsement levels pay battle pass XP, not loot boxes. Overwatch 2, they’re a crucial reward. Scorecards provided great insights into the endorsement candidates.

And while I’m ranting…

Image: Blizzard Entertainment via Polygon

Overwatch’s “on fire” indicator should also return. Not because I need the game itself to stroke my ego when I’m over-performing, but because it was helpful to gauge how my opponents were doing. Displaying an enemy team member as “on fire” was helpful to me and my team, as it highlighted who we should be most aggressively targeting (or most afraid of) during a given game.

These features were removed by Blizzard for good reasons. Post-game medals and scorecards delay the process of getting back into games, and players comparing their medal haul to their teammates’ was a source of toxicity. An “on fire” indicator is still in the game, in a way; hot kill streaks will still trigger hero voice lines that literally say, “I’m on fire!” But those visual reminders of performance offer useful information, and are rewarding to players who don’t get the positive feedback that comes from big, flashy, team-killing plays.

Back in April, Blizzard said it “plan[s] on revisiting the Fire system in the future, as it can provide excitement and positive feedback around awesome plays made by you or your teammates.” But developers haven’t said much about the feature since.

The removal of scorecards is not Blizzard’s highest priority right now. It still has a game to stabilize, seasonal content to deliver, and a major feature — co-op story and hero missions — left on its plate. However, scorecards proved to be a useful tool for encouraging some degree of positive reward in the original. Overwatch. Also Overwatch 2 players need more positivity.