‘PUBG’ Is Cracking Down On High-Level Cheaters

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is currently one of the most popular battle royale shooter games on the market. The game, which was created and developed by South Korean video game company Bluehole, provides intense action-packed combat for gamers.

A typical PUBG match starts with 100 excited players running around in a lobby while waiting to board an airplane. Once aboard the plane, players must select a spot on the map below, where they will then parachute onto the previously selected island. Once there, players must hurry to loot and obtain weapons, medical supplies, and armor in order to attack other players, and ultimately be the last man standing.

There are even PUBG competitions where professional gamers have the opportunity to gather and compete for cash and other prizes. And according to a report from the New York Post, more than a dozen players were recently banned from one of the world’s biggest e-sports events after being caught cheating in an effort to win a cash prize of $2 million.

Cheating isn’t a new thing in PUBG. Last year, more than 30,000 players were banned, according to a report from Tech Radar. PUBG Corp took to Twitter to share a list of all the disgraced players and reiterated that stance on cheating.

“We believe that condoning the cheating activities of teammates to share the common benefit should be as severely punished as performing the activities itself,” the note said.

The cheaters were allegedly playing with what is known as a “radar hack,” which allowed them to subtly watch their competitors during the online competition. The hack allowed the players to track their opponents’ location on a separate screen. Previous hacking attempts used included hacking methods that allowed players to shoot through walls and improve their aim by drastically reducing recoil.

In order to prevent this from happening in the future, there will be “comprehensive background checks” conducted on each player’s account before they’re allowed to compete. As for penalties for those who are caught cheating, PUBG is handing down strict bans.

“We are issuing one of the severest penalties we have ever issued, in order to match our zero-tolerance policy on cheating,” a spokesman for PUBG said.

“This will be for a minimum of three years to a maximum of a lifetime starting on the date of completion of an official league investigation.”

“Cheating in a professional competition is one of the least sportsmanlike behaviors that a pro player can exhibit,” he added.