A SHOCK decision by the team behind The Division 2 has left many players banned from the game.
However, many of those who were apparently ‘cheating’ didn’t even know that what they were doing was unintended.
Players won’t be able to play The Division 2 for at least two weeks.
In a recent update a bug was introduced that allowed players to gain bonus XP and level up faster.
Players were able to join game mode Descent in The Division 2 via the Ubisoft Connect interface and could gain additional XP and SHD levels.
While this was an unusual exploit, not everyone using it knew that it was unintended.
Despite this, the team has announced a number of punishments for anyone that used this exploit while playing.
A statement read: “We take these issues very seriously and are committed to maintaining a fair and enjoyable gaming environment for all players.
“We have thoroughly investigated the situation and identified individuals who have systematically used the exploits.”
The punishments include a rollback of progress for the time frame that the exploit was active.
Those who have not received sanctions before will receive a two week suspension, while those that have been previously suspended will receive a permaban.
Further, players who are suspended for this issue will be flagged, and any other offences committed will receive longer suspensions in the future.
The statement ends: “Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
“We are committed to upholding the spirit of our game and providing you with the best possible gaming experience.”
Players have been outraged by the decision, and feel that the punishment is unfair.
As the exploit was introduced via a bug that the team created, it is believed that it needs to take responsibility for the issue.
By passing blame onto the players it is unfairly punishing people for the team’s mistake.
While some could accept a rollback on their progress, even a two week suspension will hamper players’ future progress and leave them falling behind others.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
