#GamingBytes: This PUBG hack got 30,000 players banned
What's the story
PUBG is one of the most difficult Battle Royale games. It requires a perfectly executed strategy to win the chicken dinner.
Due to its competitive nature, some players resort to cheating.
With the spike in number of PUBG players, developers are looking to ensure fair gameplay for all.
In that light, they have banned over 30,000 accounts for using a particular hack.
Ban wave
Along with new map, ban wave hits PUBG
The Vikendi map was not the only new thing coming to PUBG, as the developers also launched a ban wave.
30,000 accounts that were accused of using cheat codes in the game were shut down.
Notably, this wave impacted a lot of pro players as well.
The banhammer is a common technique used by game developers to stop hacking in online games.
Hack
These players were using Radar Hacking
The banned players were all using Radar Hacking.
This technique takes detailed information from game servers and sends the data through a third-party VPN to external devices.
This ensures higher kill and success ratio for the cheat users.
In simple terms, the Radar Hack allows cheaters to see the opponent's position on a second monitor or smartphone application, giving them an in-game strategic advantage.
Complaints
Player had asked developers to close information loop
Justlikethegypsysaid, a PUBG player, complained that he would be hidden inside a building or behind a rock, but whenever he heard players' footsteps nearby, he would barely catch a glimpse of their heads before they shot him dead.
Understanding the difficulty in banning cheats running on separate devices, he asked PUBG Corp. to close the information loop being fed to these applications and devices.
Aftermath
Game ban has affected pro gamers as well
The banhammer has also affected pro gamers.
Apparently, the Radar Hack is pretty common in European and North American e-Sports industry, and the ban has led to several apologies and suspensions.
Most notable was Can "TEXQS" Ozdemir of Pittsburgh Knights, who has reportedly earned nearly Rs. 25.2 lakh in a year since he joined them.
The team investigated and suspended the player.
Personal
No sympathy for cheaters, ban well-deserved, thank you PUBG Corp
I have no sympathy for cheaters, especially in an intense game like PUBG. Both spotting and sound are key to victory here, and it is unfair if someone knows your position beforehand through cheating. The bans were well deserved and PUBG Corp. should be thanked.