A vote was taken on whether the community wants FACEIT to test teams being able to chat to each other in voice chat briefly at half-time. With over 100,000 people voting in favour, Voice chat will open between both teams for a test in the first week of Season 9.
Players can wish each other luck, or enjoy light banter and tell their opponents who's going to win the second half, before chat closes again once the sides switch. The test will run between August 5-12.
What exactly am I voting for?
A one-week test to enable half-time voice chat between teams in FACEIT Matchmaking from August 05 to 12. From there, we’ll decide what happens next based on how it goes, how our reports and toxicity data change, and the feedback we receive.
Why did this going to a vote?
Half-time all-talk is something some players missed from CS:GO, so we're putting it to a vote and testing it with the community before deciding based on the feedback.
How long would each team have to talk?
Voice would open for a few seconds when the half ends, and close once the sides have switched.
Could I opt out?
Not during the test. Half-time voice would be on for everyone in FACEIT Matchmaking for the week, which is what makes the test meaningful. If it stays after the test, we may add a preference to mute this portion of the match automatically or other changes in line with players’ feedback.
Would what I say be recorded or reviewable?
Yes. Anything said at half-time is captured in the demo file, the same as any other communication in the match.
Would it change the match itself?
No. Nothing about the break duration, the score, or the match settings change.
Where would it be available?
For the test, it would be available in FACEIT Matchmaking only. Clubs, ESEA League, and other match types would not be affected during the test.