Blizzard cracks down on third-party data-tracking apps in Overwatch

This morning, reporters and players who were using third-party data-gathering software in Overwatch began receiving notices from Blizzard Support that warned any further use of these applications would result in these accounts being punished. 

These notices, which were shared on Twitter by writers like Sabriel Mastin, did not include mention of any immediate bans, but did say players may receive permanent bans if they continue to use external software such as Pursuit and Visor. On the Blizzard forums, community manager Tom Powers stated that these applications are not permitted because they "impede on the competitive integrity of Overwatch."

Both Pursuit and Visor walked a fine line on violating Blizzard's EULA because while they both aimed to provide additional statistics to players, neither seemed to explicitly encourage cheating or unfair competition. 

Visor made claims to offer live feedback to players on enemy kills and other stats, while Pursuit sold itself as a post-game report program. Both pieces of software were named in the notice that Mastin posted. 

It's worth noting that Visor just raised $4.7 million to further develop its performance-tracking software. The company has not announced any new plans for Vision at this time.