Jetpack Cat is already getting nerfed — but the fine print matters

Blizzard says it will tame Jetpack Cat – but the receipts are messy

Blizzard looks set to roll back some of the bite on Overwatch’s breakout support, Jetpack Cat, after players discovered aggressive perk combos that let the hero play like a self-sustaining flanker. Multiple outlets report an immediate nerf early next week and a mid-season perk swap to replace Territorial, but the details you’re seeing in tweets and forum posts don’t match Blizzard’s published patch notes – so take the timeline with a grain of salt.

This caught my attention because Jetpack Cat exploded onto the scene during Overwatch’s big Season 1 relaunch and quickly became two things at once: a meme – thanks to a tidal wave of pet cosplay edits — and a headache for competitive balance. The reaction is a classic modern Dev/Community scramble: mount the hype, then dial it back when players exploit the fun into something one-sided.

• What multiple outlets say: Steam News and GamesRadar report frequent bans and developer comments suggesting nerfs are incoming.
• What’s official so far: PC Gamer and Blizzard’s public patch notes haven’t listed Jetpack Cat changes; recent hotfixes focused on other supports like Kiriko and broad balance tweaks.
• Why it matters: If a support can loop lethal melee bursts and self-heal via perks like Claws Out, Territorial, and Purr, it breaks the expected risk/reward that keeps flankers and healers distinct.

Breaking down the reports — and where they disagree

Steam News ran a straightforward piece noting frequent bans of the new hero and quoting a developer line — “She can be very, very lethal” — that captures the mood around competitive matches. GamesRadar leaned into the cultural spike: Jetpack Cat has become a viral pet-cosplay obsession, but that same article flagged community concern and developer attention toward nerfs. PC Gamer’s coverage of Blizzard’s Season 1 relaunch focuses more on freebies (double XP and lootboxes) and the roster refresh that sparked the player surge — they didn’t provide confirmation of immediate Jetpack Cat nerfs.

The synthesis here is clear in direction but foggy in detail: multiple outlets report Blizzard is moving quickly to tone Jetpack Cat down, but the company’s public patch notes (including a Feb. 13 hotfix that targeted Kiriko and several other heroes) haven’t listed explicit Jetpack Cat changes. That leaves us in the uncomfortable middle ground between “devs are reacting fast” and “no official numbers yet.”

Why Blizzard would act fast — and why that’s the right call

When a support hero doubles as a low-risk, high-reward flanker, it warps match design. Supports are supposed to be anchors for team sustain and coordination; a support who can dive, do burst melee damage, heal/mitigate while staying mobile, and escape reliably reduces counterplay and encourages bans — which several reports claim is already happening.

Quick nerfs matter because they stop unhealthy metas early. But there’s a trade-off: heavy-handed changes can alienate players who picked up Jetpack Cat because she’s fun, not because she’s winning every match. The sensible path is surgical trims to Claws Out and Territorial potency (the changes being reported), not a gutting rewrite — assuming Blizzard follows through that way.

What gamers should watch next

• Check official Blizzard patch notes early next week for concrete numbers and a timeline — those will be the only source to trust for exact changes.
• Watch competitive stat trackers (Overbuff-type sites) for ban and pick-rate swings after the next match-day; that’s how you’ll know if the nerfs land the intended knockdown.
• Listen for the Alec Dawson interview transcript or an official dev post. Several outlets referenced developer comments, but those lines are not fully verified against Blizzard’s public communications.

From a player perspective: if you enjoy Jetpack Cat, expect a gentler version of the hero after the first wave of fixes — but don’t be surprised if she ends up looking quite different mid-season if Territorial gets swapped out. For competitive players, this will likely be welcome; for casuals, it’s another reminder that the hero you learn in week one can change fast.

TL;DR

Multiple outlets report Blizzard will nerf Jetpack Cat’s most aggressive perks after community complaints and reported bans. The broad narrative — viral hero, broken self-sustaining flank build, quick developer response — checks out, but official patch notes haven’t confirmed specifics yet. Keep an eye on Blizzard’s next patch and competitive stat trackers to see whether this becomes a small re-tune or a full mid-season perk swap.