Apex Legends, the battle royale shooter that is being tagged as a potential Fortnite killer, was released less than two weeks ago, but developer Respawn Entertainment said that it has already banned over 16,000 cheaters from the game.
Respawn revealed the mind-boggling statistic through an update post on the Apex Legends sub-Reddit, where it also called for the community to try to capture proof of cheaters, such as a screenshot or video clip, and send them information through this link. Respawn added that if players are unable to acquire proof of cheating, they may just forward the alleged cheaters’ IDs, and the developer will investigate the reported accounts itself.
There is currently no in-game feature in Apex Legends to report cheaters, but Respawn said that it is “a very good idea.” There is no timeline yet on when the feature will arrive to the battle royale shooter, but given the slew of updates that have already been released for the game, its addition might not take long.
“Cheaters suck,” Respawn wrote in the Reddit post, and legitimate Apex Legends players will agree. The cheating problem has apparently escalated to the point that Twitch streamers are blatantly implementing hacks during broadcasts.
A streamer who went by the name of Mengiez on Twitch was one of the cheaters caught in his own broadcast. Viewers noticed that Mengiez was using a wallhack to keep an eye on where opponents were, even as they took cover. The streamer also hit shot after shot with uncanny accuracy, apparently only missing when the map’s terrain was blocking his aim.
Another Twitch streamer found to have been using an aimbot in Apex Legends was Dharyxd, as viewers noticed several instances when his aim appeared to lock on targets and perfectly track their movements. The videos have since been deleted, but clips of his cheating ways have been captured.
While Mengiez has already been banned on Twitch and his channel taken down, Dharyxd remains untouched. It is unclear if the investigation into Dharyxd’s cheating is still ongoing, but if Mengiez was axed from the streaming platform, Dharyxd should suffer the same fate.
Players who are having a hard time in Apex Legends should not resort to cheats, as that degrades the experience for everyone in the game. Here is a beginner’s guide for the battle royale blockbuster, as well as a character guide to the game’s eight legends, which should help players improve without the need for hacking.
