As detailed in a press release, federal courts in Germany and the US have recently ruled in favor of PUBG Mobile publishers Tencent Games and Krafton in a lawsuit launched against members of a hacking group who are known for creating and distributing cheats within the game. The cheat makers have been fined $10 million which will be reinvested into the anti-cheating technology, the PUBG Mobile developers further state.
In addition to the payment of the $10 million in damages, as a part of the ruling, the defendants have also been ordered to provide details pertaining to how they were able to exploit the game in the first place and are also under strict instructions to cease any future illegal activities involving cheating in the game, reports IGN.
PUBG Mobile cheat makers fined: Company spokespeople release statements on the matter
Tencent Games PUBG Mobile Producer Rick Li issued a statement following the legal victory in which he spoke about the importance of the ruling within the game’s online community. “Millions of players worldwide enjoy PUBG Mobile and we will ensure a level playing field for everyone. Sadly, the actions of hacker groups undermine the fairness of the game. These Judgements send a clear message that we will not tolerate cheating in PUBG Mobile,” he said.
“Fun and fairness is the bedrock of the PUBG Mobile experience and cheating in any form will not be tolerated. As such, we will continue enforcing our IP rights with unwavering resolve against any who seek to tarnish or misuse them.”
Minu Lee, Head of PUBG Mobile Product Development, krafton
Increased prevalence of cheating in free-to-play games
Despite this being a victory for PUBG Mobile and its community, other online multiplayer publishers will be hoping that it sends a wider message throughout the industry because the issue of cheating has become far more prominent in the gaming scene with the rise of free-to-play online games and has affected a number of gaming communities including the likes of some big names like Halo Infinite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Battlefield 2042.
Activision is in a legal battle with EngineOwning too
While a number of games such as Call of Duty: Warzone have looked for ways to combat cheating through building upon and improving their built-in anti-cheat systems, further legal options have also been being explored by a number of companies. Most recently, Activision announced that it had launched a lawsuit against EngineOwning, which is a popular cheats distributor that is accused of creating and distributing cheats throughout a range of all Call of Duty titles, including CODM. Now Activision will most likely be encouraged by the recent ruling in favor of PUBG Mobile and will be hoping for a similar outcome in their own legal pursuits.
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