Continuing EA’s trend of last-minute bans, EMEA pro player Denzaay’s account has been disabled and is under investigation. His team “Passion” is due to play in the new ALGS Pro League split, only two weeks away, casting doubt on their future in Apex Legends.
EA is cracking down on any potential Terms of Service violations committed by professional and Challenger Circuit ALGS players, with several high-profile bans taking place in December 2023. Denis “Denzaay” Brendstrup is the latest to face this crackdown, publicizing that his account had been removed on Jan. 5. The ban itself is believed to have taken place on Jan. 3, and Denzaay has reached out to Respawn developers for assistance.
Denzaay clarified that he does not believe he deserves to have his account suspended, refuting any allegations of cheating. He lamented that he has “sacrificed everything” for his career in esports. Having played Apex since its launch and competed professionally since 2019, it would be a shock to see him unable to compete in 2024.
This ban comes after several other high-profile ToS violations from professional Apex players over the course of a month. Promising EMEA pre-season competing team Redragon was removed from qualifying tournaments after two players were banned for IP-related offenses. Less than a week later, a professional player for fellow EMEA team Three Dragons was also banned, costing his team their qualification.
Surprise bans have not been limited to the EMEA region, as other ALGS regions have also been affected by EA’s apparent crackdown. The APAC South region also faced player bans, although it remains unclear as to how this is affecting which teams are participating in the upcoming Pro League.
As these last-minute player bans continue to roll in, players are questioning EA’s anti-cheat measures. Gamers have complained that undecided bans affecting professional players are happening more frequently, yet the public ranked system is allegedly overrun with non-banned cheaters. It is also alarming how potential Terms of Service violations are seemingly being detected so close to Pro League starting on Jan. 20.
With the professional ALGS split starting so soon, it is unclear what Denzaay’s team will be able to do. If the ban is upheld and Denzaay is unable to compete, they may be forced to find a new player to complete with the team, or may even lose their qualification slot, as they qualified through the pre-season tournaments.
Whether Denzaay’s “random” ban is truly random or not, EA is clearly determined to start ALGS Year Four with a clean slate. Although it remains concerning that so many professional players may have slipped ToS violations under the radar, perhaps these bans are a sign that EA and Respawn will finally find success in fighting the cheating epidemic.
