Initializing systems! Updating Competitive play for Overwatch 2

news.blizzard.com:

Competitive play has been at the heart of the Overwatch community for years, and we have long-term plans to nurture this game mode far into the future. We're excited to share how we’re updating Competitive in Overwatch 2, starting with the goals that guided our decisions.

First, seasons should be exciting and tell their own, individual stories. Each one should take players on a new journey with new heroes, maps, game modes, or balance changes.

Second, we believe losing games shouldn’t be a purely negative experience. Competitive players should feel a sense of progression after games, and we want to provide players with the tools needed to improve and rank-up. 

Finally, we need an improved Competitive experience for returning players—for the benefit of both them and their teammates. 

Let’s dive deeper into what we’re doing to make Overwatch 2 Competitive feel fun and fair to play.

Overwatch 2 will not have portrait levels, and match experience will go towards leveling up your Battle Pass. New players who create an Overwatch 2 account on or after October 4 will play through a guided First-Time User Experience (FTUE). They will need to complete FTUE and win 50 Quick Play matches before Competitive unlocks.

This gives new players time to prepare for the higher expectations that come with Competitive, while veteran players don’t feel discouraged by teammates who have less experience. In the process of unlocking Competitive, we analyze new player skill levels to optimize matchmaking in a way that feels good to everyone. This only affects accounts made on or after the October 4 release date: anyone who has Competitive unlocked prior will have access to Competitive in Overwatch 2.   

SR is being replaced by Skill Tier Divisions in