Blizzard confirms Overwatch Contenders' first female North American player was a fake identity

Overwatch drama surrounding the identity of Second Wind player 'Ellie' comes to a head as Blizzard confirms that her identity was "fabricated".

North America's first female Overwatch Contenders player has been revealed to be a a fake identity created by a "veteran" player, confirming the suspicions of the community.

Second Wind brought 'Ellie' on board back in December, and less than a month later, announced her departure on Twitter citing "unforeseen reactions" as the reason for her leaving, which it later clarified as "doxxing and personal threats" fuelled by her anonymity. Following an investigation, Blizzard has since confirmed that Ellie doesn't actually exist, with an Overwatch esports spokesperson telling Dot Esports that "‘Ellie’ was a fabricated identity and is a smurf account—created by a veteran player to obfuscate their identity."

Prior to the result of the investigation, Twitch streamer Aspen claimed that 'Ellie' was Overwatch ladder player Punisher - something that esports figure Rod 'Slasher' Breslau also claimed in a Twitter thread on the subject.

Apparently the whole incident was a "social experiment", with Breslau claiming that Punisher knows a number of women who speak on chat for him while he uses his "egirl smurf" account.

The statement from Overwatch's esports spokesperson clarifies that "'Ellie' was never formally submitted to the active roster of Second Wind and never played in a Contenders match."

Second Wind has since apologised in a statement, saying that its "desperation to fill a roster" resulted in it overlooking "crucial information that should have been paid more attention to," adding that "the Ellie account was used for purposes we do not support."