Massive Cheating Scandal in China Uncovered: 10 Arrested for VALORANT Cheats
Chinese police have disrupted a major cheating scandal in the popular esports game VALORANT, resulting in the arrest of 10 individuals involved in the development and distribution of cheating programs. These programs successfully bypassed Riot Games’ Vanguard anti-cheat system.
Arrests Made After Tipped-off Raids
Chinese officials, in collaboration with Tencent, carried out raids across multiple provinces. The raids were planned for over a month following a tip-off received in mid-August. The police were able to track down the individuals responsible for creating the cheats.
Computers and Cell Phones Confiscated
The raids led to the arrest of two program developers and eight accomplices. Seventeen computers used to breach VALORANT’s security measures were confiscated, along with eight cell phones used in the cheating process.
“First Criminal Case” to Combat Cheating
The official VALORANT Weibo account said, “This is not only the first criminal case in the country to crack down on the production and sales of ‘AI game plug-ins,’ but it is also a major achievement for VALORANT to protect players’ competitive experience.”
Profit and Account Bans
The cheating software generated over $4 million USD in profits for the developers, and nearly 40,000 VALORANT accounts were banned for using the cheats, according to Valo2Asia.
Heavy Penalties for Game Cheating
In China and other parts of Asia, cheating in online games is considered a serious criminal offense. In the past, Chinese software developers were arrested for creating cheats for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and South Korean Overwatch hackers received significant jail time.
Uncertain Sentences for VALORANT Cheat Developers
It remains unclear what the sentences will be for the recently arrested VALORANT cheat developers.
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