Overwatch 2 players can't actually play due to DDOS attack

An anticipated sequel's release day was marred by a hack that left players in the dust.

After 6 years, the popular first-person hero shooter game Overwatch finally got a sequel.

The aptly titled Overwatch 2 brings numerous changes from its predecessor, such as becoming free-to-play and introducing new competitive game modes.
Although many see this as less of a sequel and more of an update, the game has seen generally positive initial reviews.

Millions of players excited to get their hands on Overwatch 2 couldn't access the game in the first place.

A DDoS attack on Overwatch 2's servers caused extremely long matchmaking times, meaning players ended up waiting idly for upwards of more than an hour.
At the time of writing, the game's developers are still working to fully restore the game's functionality.

A DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack is sort of like people crowding the entrance of a store, making it hard for legitimate customers to enter.

Specifically, it's a cybercrime in which the hacker floods a server with traffic to prevent real users from connecting to it.
These attacks are usually done against large online organizations, such as shopping sites and online casinos.

DDoS attacks are too prevalent in online gaming, affecting even the biggest organizations.

Such attacks against gaming often occur around Christmas, in which hackers seem to revel in disrupting the delight of enjoying a new game.

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