After Garena issued bans to two Free Fire players last week for using hacks, the company has promised to permanently ban any player caught cheating in the game.
“Cheaters have no place in Free Fire,” Garena said.
Additionally, pro players caught cheating will be expelled from Garena tournaments, along with their entire team, the company said. “We have zero-tolerance for any activity that undermines the integrity and fairness of our game.”
Garena also said it doesn’t just ban the accounts of players who cheat but also the device. This makes it difficult for offenders to play the game again.
The controversy erupted last week when Entity Gaming’s “ASHWATMA” and TSG Army’s “ZACK” were detected by the in-game anti-hack system to be using hacks. Both players were permanently banned from Free Fire tournaments.
As an added measure, Garena will also be banning the “government IDs” of both players for one year to ensure that they don’t find a way around the ban to participate in Free Fire events.
“We apply a range of screening technologies to spot suspicious behavior, Garena said. “And are constantly enhancing our ability to detect the most sophisticated cheaters.”
Correction May 28 12pm CT: Dot Esports incorrectly said that ASHWATMA and ZACK will be banned for one year and the punishment of future offenders will be determined on the basis of their offense. This isn’t the case. Garena said it will permanently ban any player caught using hacks. This article has been edited to reflect this information. We regret this error.