Over 1500 cheaters have been banned in Guild Wars 2. One of the banned players accuses ArenaNet of having used spyware and also catching innocent players. This is causing quite a stir.
Publishers are striving to protect their games from cheaters. Therefore, they run programs that scan for fraudulent software. For example, Blizzard uses Warden. ArenaNet reportedly used a similar program in March. This has now led to a controversy.
ArenaNet announces 1583 bans in Guild Wars 2
In an official statement, ArenaNet announced on Thursday that 1583 accounts have been banned. These accounts had used unauthorized third-party software and thus violated the user agreement. Complaints about account bans were not allowed there.
Post on reddit sparks major controversy
A user on Reddit examined this incident more closely. They were also banned but claim to be an expert in software reverse engineering. Therefore, they have tools on their computer that could potentially be used for hacking, but which have nothing to do with Guild Wars 2.
This Reddit user claimed that ArenaNet must have installed software alongside Guild Wars 2 that scans background processes. This software was reportedly introduced with a patch on March 6 and was removed on March 27. The user accuses ArenaNet of crossing privacy boundaries and inadvertently catching people who had no intentions of cheating in Guild Wars 2.
He accuses ArenaNet of professional errors and the use of spyware, i.e., snooping software.
One of the main points of criticism is that the user accuses Guild Wars 2 of arbitrariness. ArenaNet would not ban for in-game actions but solely for having the tools on their computer that could theoretically allow such actions.
Controversy heats up – Thousands of comments
The post comes at a time when many users are reflecting on their privacy due to the Facebook data scandal and hits the nail on the head. Rarely has a topic moved the Guild Wars 2 community as much as this.
The Reddit post alone has 1348 comments. In the official forum, more than 1600 additional comments have been made.
ArenaNet’s statement
The Reddit post prompted ArenaNet to issue a second statement on Saturday. The publisher admits that they were searching for the following processes over a period of several weeks:
- CheatEngine
- Nabster
- GW2MHRexe
- UNF
- MMOMINION
If these programs were running simultaneously with Guild Wars 2 over a significant period of several hours, this led to a ban.
Whether CheatEngine was actually used or if users simply forgot to close it makes no difference. Unlike the previous statement, complaints about bans can now be communicated to support.
In the post, ArenaNet makes it clear that they understand how important accounts are to users and that they respect their trust.
Various tech sites have requested further statements from Guild Wars 2. It can be assumed that this case will continue to occupy ArenaNet and the players of Guild Wars 2 in the coming days.
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