PUBG developer Bluehole has announced that they have aided in the arrest of 15 high-profile hackers in China.
“As you all now know, we’ve been doing everything possible to root out cheating from PUBG. The ultimate goal is to create an environment for players that’s completely safe from hackers and cheaters,” said the studio in their blog post on Steam. “Earlier this month, on April 25th, 15 suspects were arrested for developing and selling hacking/cheating programs that affect PUBG. It was confirmed that malicious code, including Trojan horse software, was included in some of these programs and was used to steal user information.”
Further information suggests that the hackers will face a fine equivalent to about $5.1 million. Additional suspects related to the case are reportedly being investigated, but there is no information regarding their affiliation with the arrested group of hackers or the possible punishments they may face available at this time.
The PUBG team also took the time to confirm that the “longstanding rumor that hacking/cheating programs extract information from users’ PCs” are true and pledge that they will continue to pursue all those who hack the game for any purpose.
This update will come as a comfort to PUBG‘s sizeable player base, albeit something of a cold one. Reports of hacking in PUBG grew more rampant as the game skyrocketed in popularity. While that is not uncommon, what started as players trying to reach high ranks through hacking grew into a problem that included players trying to use the game to steal other users’ information and perform similar malicious actions.
The problem is particularly bad in China where some estimate a shocking 99% of caught hackers in PUBG originate from. That overwhelming number has led some players to request that the PUBG team implement a region lock that will prevent players from China from being able to access the game. The PUBG team have stated that they have considered that possibility, but that they don’t feel it is as effective of a solution to the problem as some users hope it will be.