Valorant developer Riot Games isn't giving cheaters any second chances, as those who were caught using cheats during the newly released game's closed beta are finding that they're still banned. Cheating has always been a prominent issue in the world of online multiplayer, but Riot's unforgiving approach to the issue may mink unscrupulous players think twice before they decide to cut corners in other games.
For those unfamiliar the latest competitive multiplayer hotness, Valorant is Riot Games' latest addition to the free-to-play first-person shooter genre. Set in the near-future, Valorant places players on a team of five heroes, tasked with detonating or defusing a bomb, all while fending off the enemy team. Matches consist of 25 rounds total, and the first team to take 13 rounds wins. There are no respawns per round, meaning players have to play with precision. Luckily, rounds move very quickly, and players control a wide cast of interesting characters, each equipped with their own unique abilities. One of the key differences between Valorant and it's many competitors is its speed, as it doesn't take long to kill or be killed. With that mindset, it's little surprise that Riot has no patience for cheaters.
According to Kotaku, players who were caught cheating in Valorant's beta have remained banned upon the game's official release. Additionally, Twitter's resident Anti-Cheat Police Department shared evidence of cheaters taking to popular cheat forums to complain about how they were banned or re-banned shortly after launch. One intrepid cheater even went as far as to direct message the CEO of Riot Games, Nicolo Laurent, confused as to why their ban from the beta had not yet been lifted. Responding only a couple hours later, the Laurent simply stated, "Sorry, no second chances for cheaters."
During Valorant's closed beta, Riot banned 10,000 players in total, going so far as to offer $100,000 to players who discovered exploits in their anti-cheat program. Explaining the bans, Vanguard Anti-Cheat developer Matt Paoletti stated that Riot identifies the device that is linked with the cheating account, thereby automatically banning any new accounts that are created on said device. Furthermore, Paoletti says that the hardware bans would be removed for "most" players after the closed beta was over, implying that not all cheaters would remain locked out. That being said, it's clear that Riot is intentionally hoping to send a message to Valorant's players, who would be otherwise tempted to give themselves an unfair advantage.
Cheating has been a major taboo in the video game's online community from the time of its inception through the present. When cheaters exploit an online game, they chase a high of perpetual winning at the cost of ruining all affected players' experiences. However, as time has gone on, developers have grown tired of these exploits and are putting their feet down. Riot Games is not the first to implement this "no second chance" attitude, nor will it be the last. So, although cheaters may never be completely expelled from the online gaming community, they'll at least have a harder time getting away with their grift as game developers continually adapt to their misconduct.
Sources: Kotaku, Anti-Cheat Police Department, Nicolo Laurent, Matt Paoletti