Tencent Cracks Down on PUBG Cheaters in China

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is popular the world over and more so in China, which is home to around 40 percent of its user base. With over three million players daily, it’s no surprise that there are a fair few looking for an unfair edge given the game’s kill or be killed ethos.

As Tencent ramps up for an official PUBG China release date, it’s enlisted the help of the Chinese police to arrest those designing and selling programs or hacks that allow one to cheat in the game.

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According to a report from Bloomberg, Tencent has “helped law enforcement agents uncover at least 30 cases and arrest 120 people suspected of designing programs that confer unfair advantages”. These include granting players the ability to see-through walls or have auto-aim that ensures you never miss hitting an opponent.

As per Chinese law, disrupting computer networks could result in five years of jail time or more, making cheating in PUBG a risky proposition. Nonetheless, it’s so prevalent that Bluehole’s anti-cheats partner, BattlEye, has banned 1.5 million accounts. That’s six percent of the game’s 40 million user base.

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“Fostering a game environment that’s fair to all players is crucial to us,” said Lee Do-hyung, head of operations and services for PUBG Corp to Bloomberg. “We’re committed to working to address this both now and in the future.”

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