After a wave of bans for an exploit in the MMORPG Neverwinter, this situation is turning into a PR disaster for Cryptic Studios.
Dealing with exploits is not easy for a game studio either. This is currently evident in the situation surrounding Neverwinter.
An exploit stirs emotions
What happened? In the current expansion Ravenloft, it was possible to repeat one of the newly introduced hunts infinitely, which yielded players many rewards in the form of Astral Diamonds each time. This exploit was reported to the developers before the release of Ravenloft in June of this year. Now in September, a hotfix was finally implemented across all platforms. However, there was also a threat of consequences for all who exploited this. A wave of bans followed.
This is why players are now angry: There are several reasons that have led Neverwinter fans to be very upset:
- The exploit was not fixed for a long time, even though it had been known for months. There was also no response from the developers.
- Many saw the exploit as a feature, especially because there was no reaction from the developers. Some used it to finally catch up with the power gamers. Without a response from the developers, some thought it was okay to do this.
- Even players who had only exploited the exploit once or twice were rigorously banned.
- The developers removed items from the inventories of some players without warning.
- The team further fanned the flames with a clumsy response: “Exploits like these can negatively affect the ‘health’ of Neverwinter and impact players. The exploit has now been fixed. Players who chose to abuse the hunt system are violating our terms of service, thus action was taken against them. Any player who wishes to contest actions against their account may contact our customer service.”
- Youtubers and streamers were even banned. Players now believe that this negatively impacts Neverwinter.
A community in rage
This is how fans are reacting: The community is angry. Especially on Twitter, players are venting their frustration. No matter what the developers post there, the community is discussing the wave of bans, criticizing the approach, and currently bombarding Twitter with the hashtag #DontBuyZen. This is a call to stop buying premium currency for the MMORPG. The situation is developing into a PR disaster for Cryptic Studios.
What players would have wished for: It would have been so easy to avoid all these problems. Fans themselves explain how the studio should have proceeded.
- For one, Cryptic Studios should have responded directly to the report of the exploit.
- The hotfix should have come out sooner.
- A timely notice either on the website, in-game, or via email would have been necessary to warn players not to exploit this.
Not everyone is angry: A Neverwinter fan, who wishes to remain anonymous, even defends the developers. He states: “Knowing that you are doing something that goes against the intention of the game is cheating, and the vast majority of people who were banned did it for personal gain. The actions taken against those people were long overdue and not the fault of the company, but of the cheaters.”
Furthermore, the number of permanent bans is reportedly not so high, and the Cryptic Studios is apparently currently converting many bans into suspensions. Nonetheless, it is quite an uncomfortable situation for the development studio.
