Overwatch developer Blizzard is no stranger to doling out serious punishments to those who hack and try to cheat in its game. Previously, Blizzard named and shamed cheaters, listing their usernames in public for the world to see. But now, the developer has gone one step further and is working with authorities as part of a criminal investigation.
In a post to the Korean Battle.net forums, Blizzard confirmed that 13 Overwatch hackers have been arrested in South Korea. The statement explains that the company had requested an investigation into Overwatch hacking by the Seoul National Police Agency Cyber Security Department regarding "illegal program developers" and this includes hacking as well as match-fixing.
After a year-long investigation (from January-December 2017), 13 suspects were arrested on suspicion of violating the "Game Industry Promotion Law and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) protection Law." This particular law was updated in 2017 in order to include much stricter punishments for those who violate it. If found guilty, these 13 Overwatch hackers could face up to five years in jail or as much as $43,000 worth of fines.
The potential punishments may seem harsh, but Blizzard would argue that it is fair given the damage that Overwatch hackers could do to its game and its business. Overwatch is hugely popular in South Korea especially, but fans in the region may be put off if the game is plagued with hackers and cheaters who want to give themselves an unfair advantage. The market for Overwatch cheat software is also incredibly lucrative, meaning that Blizzard may need something more strict than just banning thousands of players in order to deal with the issue.
Blizzard is not the only game company that seems to be taking cheating and hacking so seriously. In China, Tencent is working with local authorities to get PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds cheat makers arrested. Fortnite developer Epic Games has also begun legal proceedings against several developers of cheat software in an effort to stamp it out of its game.
There is a clear trend here with developers pursuing criminal charges, and it's one that is likely to grow so long as people keep making cheats. With so much at stake, game developers will argue that they cannot afford to let cheating fly. If putting an end to the problem means taking offending users to court or pursuing criminal prosecution, then that is exactly what they will do.
Overwatch is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.