Bots are a problem in MMORPGs and are usually not allowed. Nevertheless, the tools are booming. Jagex has taken very strict measures against the developers of the two largest bots in RuneScape .
Which bots are involved? In RuneScape, quite a few players are using RSBot and Powerbot. Through these bots, players can bypass grinding and farm a lot of gold, for example. At the next level, some sell this gold. This naturally affects the economy of the MMORPG.
Using or offering bots, as well as selling gold, is prohibited in RuneScape.
A blow against botters in RuneScape
How did Jagex take action against the bot developers? Instead of pursuing every single violation by players, which would certainly have taken an extremely long time and likely been a fight against windmills, Jagex hired a lawyer.
In a court case, the developers of RSBot and Powerbot were sued. The websites must be taken offline permanently. Essentially, it is no longer possible to officially offer the bots.
We are pleased to inform you that following a court case, RSBot and the Powerbot website will be permanently closed from midnight on October 3, 2020. We are taking a zero-tolerance approach, both in and out of the game, toward bot users, developers, and gold sellers. Simply put, we will never tolerate cheating in our games.
Developers of RuneScape
This shows the team how important RuneScape is to them, even though work is already being done on a new next-gen MMORPG.
What does this mean for MMORPGs? You can tell that developers of online games are undergoing a rethink. Instead of going after users of bots or cheats, studios are striking against the developers of these tools.
For example, Blizzard sued the cheat provider Bossland. And taking this approach seems to be much more effective than searching for and punishing individual cheaters or bot users. Even in the shooter Call of Duty: Warzone, Activision took strong action against cheat providers.
How do players respond to this? The honest players of the MMORPG RuneScape, one of the oldest online role-playing games ever, are pleased with this step. However, there are also concerns that the actual reason for using bots is still present in the game, and therefore further such tools may follow.
- Transcendent writes in the official RuneScape forum: “If Jagex could just make the game less grindy… I’m glad they’re closing bot sites and I’ve never understood why bots are used by anyone, but I don’t have the time or patience to grind like I used to. So I haven’t played much in the last few months. Lately, I prefer games where I don’t have to grind levels anymore.”
- Corder says: “Reading this made my day. I’m glad action is being taken against the providers.”
- Aussie Nanny explains that the problem is bigger: “You just have to visit Arc-Cache sites, you’ll find a lot of bots there. I see them everywhere in my world. But I’m glad that something is being done about it. Thank you, Jagex.”
What do you think about studios like Jagex taking action against bot developers? Do you believe this is an effective method?
By the way, you will soon be able to play RuneScape on Steam as well.
