Blizzard has filed a lawsuit against German software developer Bossland, in response to a set of tools designed to facilitate cheating in Overwatch. In recent weeks, the studio has been aggressively pursuing players found to be using these cheats online in the PC version of the game.
Bossland stands accused of copyright infringement, unfair competition and violating the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provision, according to a report from Torrent Freak. The complaint states that the cheating tools have caused Blizzard to lose out on “millions or tens of millions of dollars in revenue.” Bossland also creates cheat utilities for World of Warcraft, Diablo III and Heroes of the Storm.
Cheating in modern online multiplayer titles is a far cry from the Konami code; Bossland offers a product called Watchover Tyrant that gives Overwatch players an unfair edge over their competition. For around $15/month, the service allows combatants to see their enemies through walls, and gives their radar a significant upgrade.
Cheaters can quickly repel players from even the most popular online game — just look the the challenges faced by the team working on The Division for evidence of that. People aren’t going to stick around if they’re immediately outclassed by rivals who paid for a distinct advantage, so Blizzard is attempting to purge the cheaters in order to keep things fair.
“By releasing ‘Overwatch Cheat’ just days after the release of ‘Overwatch,’ Defendants are attempting to destroy or irreparably harm that game before it even has had a chance to fully flourish,” reads a portion of Blizzard’s complaint against Bossland. The game has amassed a significant player base in the six weeks since it released, but there are still questions as to whether it will have to longevity to compete with the big hitters in the FPS genre.
