Tencent is working with Chinese police to track down the cheaters and hackers running amok in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
As reported by Bloomberg, over half of the uber-popular title’s player base hails from China, and the game is due to officially launch in the country with the help of Tencent later this year.
The last-man-standing shooter also happens to be the biggest source of cheat software in the region, which is a problem that, if left unchecked, could drive away players in the long-term.
It’s hardly surprising to then, to see Tencent on the offensive, but it’s still interesting to see a publisher go to such extreme lengths to clean up the digital streets.
The firm’s commitment to the cause has allowed Chinese law enforcement to open around 30 cases and make over 120 arrests.
Those suspected are being accused of designing programs that give players an unfair advantage, such as bestowing them with x-ray vision or auto-targeting abilities.
Previous perpetrators have been sentenced to jail, so while the crime might seem trivial to some, it’s a pretty serious offence.
“Battlegrounds is going through a puberty of sorts and cheaters threaten to stunt its growth,” commented Kim Hak-joon, who analyzes video game stocks for Kiwoom Securities Co.
“Cheaters mostly drive away new users, and without retaining new users, Battlegrounds won’t be able to consolidate its early success and become a long-lasting hit.”
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2018