Valve has put the final nail in the coffin in regards to several indefinite bans that were issued to players for ‘match-fixing’ in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In a statement on the game’s official blog by the company, they’ve confirmed that all of the bans issued last year are now permanent, so any of those affected are locked out of using their accounts forever.
You may be thinking that such measures may not be a particularly big deal – considering you could just make a new account, but according to several sources, many of these banned accounts were owned and run by high-level players who engaged in eSports competitions. So extreme were the bans that three competitive teams were banned from entering a tournament in Poland, according to Polygon.
Valve’s own views on the debacle are as follows:
As the scene grows, it’s an unfortunate reality that some individuals will seek opportunities to take advantage of their fans. We will continue to take whatever action we think is necessary to protect the entertainment value created by professional Counter-Strike, including, on occasion, terminating our relationship with individuals who have demonstrated a willingness to exploit their fans’ faith in the integrity of the sport.
One can hardly be surprised at the drastic measures Valve have taken against match-fixers – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a hugely popular eSports title, and regularly ranks as one of the most-watched games on streaming site Twitch.
How much of an impact the bans will have on the game’s community as a whole is anyone’s guess, but hopefully the actions taken by Valve will prevent future incidents from occurring.
