Escape From Tarkov Dev Issues Cheat Update

When it comes to live service games, publishers and developers always try to stay one step ahead of cheaters, often banning bad actors outright. But when it comes to banned players in the hugely popular extraction game Escape from Tarkov, contrary to popular belief, not everyone who has been banned was actually involved in cheating.

In fact, according to recently released data from Battlestate Games, only 54 percent of banned players were cheaters. The rest? Well, the reasons vary.

As part of a larger anti-cheat update to coincide with the game's 1.0 release, Battlestate Games revealed that it will now “move away from publishing the lists of the cheats banned and instead attempt to answer most of the hot topics around anti-cheat and provide more in-depth statistics regarding the number of bans issued within a given time frame.”

Still, that didn't stop the developer from offering a breakdown of its bans.

54 percent of the bans were due to cheaters.
22 percent of the bans were due to RMT sellers and buyers. (RMT stands for real-money trading, which in Tarkov means exchanging real money for virtual goods and services)
The remaining 24 percent of bans were due to “Other” reasons.
- Other is defined as automated leveling bots, accounts using scripts and other prohibited software.

“Anti-cheating is always a work in progress because, as the gaming industry evolves, more companies enter the market with the clear goal of making money from cheating,” Battlestate wrote.

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So what's next?

In addition to providing an in-depth look at how and why people were banned, Battlestate also outlined its plans for the future, including a new wrinkle to playing the game.

Going forward, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot will become necessary elements to play the game. Battlestate acknowledged the backlash the demands have received, but noted that it is “a necessary measure in the current world to not completely prevent cheaters from entering the game but to have some of the software's code of conduct rewritten and features cut.”

In addition to that, more preventive measures will take place. This includes new detection systems to keep pace with bad actors.

“Fighting cheaters is still a cat-and-mouse game and will become even more complex over time, but we're still keeping pace with our commitment to have new detection systems implemented soon and to reduce the amount of raids cheaters can play before being banned,” the post read.

What you won't see is Battlestate going straight after cheat developers. They come when it makes sense, but often “the happy outcome of the court case may take a lot of time and will not justify the effort.” Instead, they will focus on ad and video removals that can help minimize the reach of developers.

It's a great update, but it's worth a read if you have the time or interest in how the sauce is made.