Destiny Dev Issuing Console Bans to Known Cheaters
By Jason Gallagher 15 November 2016
Bungie drops the hammer on players suspected of repeatedly cheating in Destiny, issuing bans for entire consoles instead of just the player’s online account.
Some of today’s most beloved video games require an online connection as part of the core experience. While this connectivity opens up options for player interactivity and can also help grow a game’s community, online gaming can also provide opportunities for cheaters and hackers to take advantage of the system. That’s why developers like Blizzard work hard to stay on top of the situation, issuing bans to players who have been up to no good.
Now, it’s been reported that some Destiny cheaters are the latest group to feel the wrath of developer vengeance. Destiny developer Bungie issued multiple bans earlier this week, citing a tweet from Bungie community manager Cozmo.
Console bans are being issued today for devices with a history of banned or restricted accounts.
Cheaters beware.https://t.co/71xVUnmQa4— Cozmo (@Cozmo23) November 17, 2016
This isn’t the first time Bungie has dropped the ban hammer on cheaters, but what’s especially noteworthy this time around is that the developer is banning specific consoles instead of just the individual Destiny account. In other words, cheaters who may have tried to circumvent a previous ban by simply repurchasing the game may now be out of luck if they continued the same behavior on the new account.
The only way for one of these individuals to get back into Destiny now would be to buy a brand new console and another copy of the game, which is a much more expensive proposition. Cozmo’s tweet links to Destiny‘s official policies on bans and account restrictions and it’s clear that this most recent action was targeted at repeat offenders.
“Bungie reserves the right to permanently ban Destiny accounts that have been confirmed as repeat offenders. Activity bans or restrictions may be escalated to account bans after multiple confirmed offenses.”
Bungie also took the time this week to communicate with Destiny‘s player base about how the game’s matchmaking system works. The developer made it clear that the system places greater emphasis on the quality of a player’s Internet connection before it moves on to other criteria such as player skill. This news isn’t entirely surprising, as Bungie has even taken to banning players with poor connections from specific game modes in the past.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Bungie also took the time at the end of its matchmaking update to tease a reveal at Sony’s PlayStation Experience event. The event wasn’t mentioned by name, but the blog post mentioned heading to Anaheim, CA in the near future. PSX will be in that location on December 3 and 4. With Destiny 2 officially confirmed for 2017, some fans are hoping that a big announcement could be just around the corner.
Destiny is out now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
Source: Cozmo – Twitter (via GameSpot)
