PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PC, Xbox One, iOS, Android) has many top streamers. One of them thought it was funny to team up with a cheater. This, however, led to the streamer’s downfall.
Who is Shroud? Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek is one of the most popular streamers of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. He is so popular that there is even a dedicated weapon skin collection made for him (and his controversial colleague Dr. DisRespect).
But none of that helped him when he went live on camera with a cheater and got banned for it.
Teaming up with cheaters – A good idea?
The pro and the hacker: In one stream, Shroud was seen teaming up with a cheater. And that in a flying car. They zoomed across the map while the hacker used his wall hacks to spy on enemies.
“I’ll probably get banned for this”: Shroud took out one of them after the cheater parked his flying car next to his hiding spot in a house. He jokingly remarked, “I’ll probably get banned for this!”
Fame does not protect from punishment
The ban followed soon: Indeed, Shroud’s words were prophetic. Apparently, shortly after that, he was no longer able to play a PUBG match. According to his statement, he had been banned for a month.
How the situation came about: In retrospect, Shroud explained how it all happened. He had apparently been killed multiple times by the cheater. Thus, he simply asked him if they could play together. “It seemed like a good idea. But it was not a good idea,” he later admitted.
Are the developers to blame?
Shroud blames the developers: Shroud finds the ban completely okay and justified. But he is also angry at the PUBG developers because they apparently still do not do enough against cheaters. The cheater with the flying car has apparently still not been banned. He even attempted to promote cheats he was selling during the stream, which Shroud was just able to stop in time.
Fans angry at Shroud: However, Shroud’s behavior is viewed critically by the community on Reddit. Many players find it absolutely inappropriate for a famous streamer and role model to openly engage with cheaters and benefit from their hacks, even if it was said to be “just for fun.”
That Shroud later referred to the match with the cheater as “the best PUBG round I’ve ever played” certainly doesn’t help the situation.
What is your opinion on this matter? Is it okay to team up “for the lulz” with a cheater? Or is that completely unacceptable?
