Lost Ark has been struggling with massive bot issues since the release of the MMORPG. However, the current wave of bans has also caught real players and left a nasty mark on their Steam profiles.
Recently, around 200,000 accounts were banned in Lost Ark, which were believed to be bots. Publisher Amazon claims they have “applied new, effective tactics” to combat the bot problem in Lost Ark.
Former Lost Ark players on Steam noticed that a problem occurred with these “tactics”: they received a notification that they had been banned. Moreover, their profiles now display “1 game exclusion” in red text – a mark used for banned cheaters.
Many who played Lost Ark at the release in early 2022 but haven’t started it again have been wrongly banned.
Developers respond to accidental bans
In the Lost Ark forum, the developers commented on the accidental bans. They state that they found the problem that was responsible for the bans of real players.
The erroneous bans are said to have been reversed, both on Steam and in-game. Those who continue to have problems can contact the customer service of the MMORPG. They also promise that the ban has no consequences.
However, when looking at some Steam profiles, it is noticeable that the mark still appears in the profile. Amazon and Smilegate have not provided any concrete information on this yet.
It is possible to contest the “game exclusion” mark in the profile. Whether it will be removed for players who were accidentally banned is currently unclear.
Recent Steam reviews are “mostly negative”
Banned players are reacting angrily, which can be seen in the recent reviews on Steam. Of the reviews in the last 30 days, 72% are currently negative – mostly due to the ban wave:
- dublehuble: “Why are you imposing a ban that appears on my profile just because I don’t play the game? LMAO?”
- Demi-Goat: “Not only did they ban me, they used Steam’s anti-cheat system to impose the ban. This means Steam brands you as a cheater if you were banned by the system. Absolutely unacceptable. I even bought the Vanquisher Pack at launch.”
- KingTut: “Looks like you have to play the game to avoid being banned.”
- EinarOfBC: “I played for a few hours, it wasn’t my thing. Then, months later, I get permanently banned out of nowhere?”
The overall review of Lost Ark is still “mostly positive”. However, the MMORPG has become quite unpopular among some Steam users.
What do you think about this? Are you also affected? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
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