Xbox One Adds Harsher Penalties for a Bad Reputation

Microsoft has been attempting to fight fire with fire on Xbox One through its reputation system, and today announced plans to refine the system and include further penalties for players with consistently bad reputations.

Currently, the reputation system features a visual representation of a player's behavior during online multiplayer, which is calculated based on the number of times a player is reported for rude or abusive behavior. This "score" comes in one of three categories--Good (which includes the majority of players), Needs Work and Avoid Me--and is displayed on a user's Gamecard as a quick reference for other players. 

However, Xbox One plans to start introducing more feedback to players about their reputation in the hopes of encouraging them to behave more positively. Users with a score of "Needs Work" will receive warnings if their reputation drops further, reminding them to engage more positively with the community or risk further penalties. 

Most drastically, the small group of players with a reputation of "Avoid Me" will see their negative behavior have an impact on their online gameplay. Consistently abusive players will have fewer matchmaking pairs--meaning they'll be less likely to find matches for online multiplayer--and may see their access to broadcasting privileges like Twitch restricted.

Microsoft added that the reputation algorithm focuses on users who receive numerous bad reports over a short period of time and doesn't penalise players for false reports. The company is also still considering instigating rewards for players with consistently good feedback as well in order to more effectively encourage players to maintain as positive a reputation as possible.