Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) announced that it has suspended over 600 gaming accounts following widespread complaints of cheating.
The developer revealed the move post on the Robert Space Industries website, saying it had suspended accounts that engaged in exploitative behavior as a result of its investigation. Affected players are said to have manipulated Star Citizen’s systems in order to duplicate items and acquire more of the in-game currency, Alpha United Earth Credits (aUEC). All aUEC obtained using these methods were removed from the ecosystem.
CIG thanks Star Citizen players for raising awareness of these issues, explaining that game exploits like those currently being suppressed “undermine the integrity of our game and the efforts of our dedicated sponsors who help us build Star Citizen.” The developer promises to continue to address cheating players as issues arise.
“Exploits and issues like this are likely to arise at this stage of development, which is one of the benefits of open development and close collaboration with our community,” CIG said. “Identifying, testing and reporting exploits is acceptable and encouraged. Thanks to the reports of the issuing councils, we have gained valuable information and we thank you for that. However, once an exploit has been identified and confirmed, further personal abuse will not be tolerated and will result in action on our part.”
Other Star Citizen players suspect that the 600 suspensions are related to players who sold their unauthorized credits for real cash. In particular, users pointed out people who visited third-party bidding sites such as eBay, where millions of aUEC are sold for prices ranging from one dollar to hundreds of dollars.
“Yes, I’ve noticed a curious number of posts recently defending and supporting third party aUEC sales, which is very strange to me since selling/buying gold is an almost universally condemned practice in most MMOs” – one – said a Reddit user. “I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it was the exploiters themselves who encouraged this BS to make some dubious money quickly.”
IGN has reached out to CIG for comment.
Star Citizen is a long-in-development science fiction game from CIG. It is marketed as an ambitious MMO that allows players to immerse themselves in a massive space simulator, but despite being announced in 2012, its launch version was never released. We reported last month that Star Citizen managed to raise over $700 million in the 12 years since its launch.
Star Citizen’s long development has made it one of the most controversial games in history, but CIG recently did so they started talking openly about the release of version 1.0. Either way, it looks like we’re still a long way from the release date. As you continue to wait, you can read more about it $48,000 CIG Ship Package. You can also learn more about the single-player story, Squadron 42, which features large names like Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman, Here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor to IGN. He began writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work on outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP and Gameranx.
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