Blizzard and Epic take 'Overwatch' and 'Fortnite' cheating very seriously
Another 'Overwatch' hacker was fined thousands of dollars.
Game-makers have had a field day making examples out of cheaters the past few weeks. Most recently, a pair of Overwatch hackers were charged in South Korea as a result of a year-long investigation by the region's police. Working with Blizzard (translated), the Seoul National Police Agency Cyber Security Department arrested a baker's dozen hackers total, according to Kotaku,
Should one of the offenders violate his probation terms (two years), he'll be put in jail. The other ne'er-do-well has been fined ₩10,000,000 ($9,286.43). This case is an instance where the state is flexing its legal muscle. As of last June, it was illegal to create and distribute game hacks in South Korea, where the maximum fine is around $50,000 or five years in prison for doing so. Last July, Blizzard sued a German developer for its hacking app, Watchover Tyrant.
Late last month, Epic decided to move forward with its lawsuit against an alleged 14 year-old hacker. If you'll remember, the hacker's mom claimed that her son's name was wrongly released, and that since he was underage and playing without her permission, he shouldn't be held responsible for cheating. Epic countered that her claims were irrelevant, using legal precedent to dispute her view that there wasn't a binding contract between Epic and her son.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Chinese authorities had arrested some 15 hackers, collectively fining them over $4.5 million.
It makes sense: developers are sinking millions into making these games constantly evolving platforms rather than pumping out sequels in some cases. If they let bad apples ruin the experience, eventually anyone who wants to play the game without being killed thanks to wall hacks or aim-bots will go elsewhere. The more online-only and esports-minded games we see, the more common litigation against hackers will likely become.
