Star Citizen Exploit Crackdown Leads to Over 600 Account Bans

Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) has announced that it has suspended more than 600 in-game accounts following widespread complaints of cheating.

The developer revealed the move in a post on its Robert Space Industries website, saying that it has suspended accounts that participated in exploitative behavior following an investigation. Affected players are said to have manipulated Star Citizen’s systems to duplicate items and gain more of its in-game currency, Alpha United Earth Credits (aUEC). All aUEC gained using these methods have been removed from the ecosystem.

CIG thanks Star Citizen players for raising awareness about these issues, explaining that in-game exploits like the ones being squashed now “undermine the integrity of our game and the efforts of our dedicated backers who help us build Star Citizen.” The developer promises to continue addressing cheating players as issues arise.

“At this stage of development, exploits and issues like these are likely to arise, which is one of the benefits of open development and working closely with our community,” CIG said. “Identifying, testing, and reporting exploits is acceptable and encouraged. We’ve gained valuable insights through your issue council reports, and we thank you for that. However, once an exploit is identified and confirmed, continued abuse for personal gain will not be tolerated and will result in action on our part.”

Other Star Citizen players suspect the 600 suspensions are tied to players who were selling their unauthorized credits for real-world cash. Specifically, users called out those who have taken to third-party bidding websites like eBay, where millions of aUEC is sold for anywhere from one dollar to hundreds of dollars.

“Yup, I noticed a peculiar amount of posts here recently both defending and supporting third-party aUEC sales, which is very odd to me, as gold selling/buying is an almost universally reviled practice in most MMOs,” one Reddit user said. “I wouldn’t even be slightly surprised if it was the exploiters themselves encouraging that BS to make a quick shady buck.”

IGN has reached out to CIG for comment.

Star Citizen is CIG’s long-in-development sci-fi game. It’s been sold as an ambitious MMO that allows players to immerse themselves within an enormous space sim experience, but despite being announced in 2012, its launch build has never actually been released. Last month, we reported that Star Citizen managed to raise more than $700 million in the 12 years since its reveal.

Star Citizen’s drawn-out development has turned it into one of the most controversial games ever, but CIG has recently started to openly talk about a 1.0 launch. Regardless, it seems we are still far off from hearing a release date. While you continue to wait, you can read more about CIG’s $48,000 ship bundle. You can also learn more about its single-player story, Squadron 42, which includes big names like Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman, here.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

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