Ubisoft recently issued a promise to Rainbow Six Siege players regarding an epidemic of AFK, or "away from keyboard" exploits. Bad actors frequently use this cheating method to artificially level up their accounts and get an unfair advantage. This is part of Ubisoft's broader efforts to combat cheaters in Rainbow Six Siege, efforts which include a recent joint lawsuit with Bungie.

AFK cheats allow users to rack up experience points and other rewards in multiplayer games without actually playing the games themselves. This method of idly leveling up various accounts can create an unfair and unenjoyable gaming environment and, in the most severe cases, completely kill an online game's community. Players using AFK bots will often have them running on multiple accounts, ensuring that they will always have a backup if they get banned for using cheats. Cheaters in Rainbow Six Siege can be particularly frustrating given the game's classification as a tactical shooter; players have to rely on strong communication and coordination with their teammates to win matches, which makes playing with a bot account detrimental to the overall experience. Ubisoft doesn't plan to make a sequel to Rainbow Six Siege, so the developers place a lot of importance on stopping cheaters to keep the current game thriving.

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Ubisoft addressed this problem through the Rainbow Six Siege Twitter account on Friday. The Tweet acknowledges the recent uptick in AFK cheaters and goes on to assure players that this behavior will not be tolerated. More specifically, the Tweet claims that developers will begin issuing manual sanctions to accounts determined to be guilty of these exploits, with improvements to the company's various detection systems planned over the next few weeks. The post ends with a reminder to report any suspicious activity experienced in-game.

AFK cheats can be notoriously tough to notice, with hackers even claiming that aimbots in Battlefield 2042 will be completely undetectable. The fact that most AFK cheaters have multiple accounts can also make the effect of bans less potent. Developers and publishers from all across the industry are facing increased levels of cheating, so more effective prevention methods need to be implemented soon.

No matter what the game is, most would agree that cheating is an unambiguously negative force in the gaming world; it can strip a game of its fun, make the community completely unbalanced, and ruin any semblance of fairness in a multiplayer space. Given the popularity of Rainbow Six Siege and its position as Ubisoft's flagship multiplayer shooter, these AFK cheaters will have to be stopped before it's too late.

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Rainbow Six Siege is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Rainbow Six Siege/Twitter