Tarkov calls out 'scum' cheaters by publishing their nicknames after banning them

Escape from Tarkov developers have called out ‘scum’ cheaters by publishing their nicknames after banning them, ouch.

Developed by Battlestate Games, Escape from Tarkov is one of the most gruelling and popular tactical first-person shooters on PC. Set in the fictional region of Norvinsk, two private military companies battle it out against each other for precious loot. What’s more, the two opposing teams must not only contend with each other but also with unforgiving bots scattered throughout the map. It is said that Escape from Tarkov inspired the likes of the Dark Zone mode in Tom Clancy’s The Division and Modern Warfare II’s DMZ.

Unfortunately, as with many online multiplayer shooters, cheaters are very prominent. Some cheaters use hacks to make themselves invisible to other players, can shoot long-range through walls and/or have automatic aim with instant kills. Some developers have certain ways to tackle them, but they’re never eradicated entirely. In many cases, cheaters can simply create a new account and jump back into a game that had banned them.

However, as reported by PC Gamer, the Tarkov developer is exposing cheaters by publicly shaming them. It is reported that Battlestate Games has banned 6,700 cheaters in the last week alone. What’s more, every single one of those cheaters has had their nicknames published on an “easy-to-read spreadsheet”.

“We want honest players to see the nicknames of cheaters,” a Battlestate spokesperson told Techcrunch, in order to “know that justice has been served”. The developer has been sharing the spreadsheet of cheaters' names on Reddit and Twitter.

In a Reddit post, Battlestate labelled those that use hacks in Escape from Tarkov as “Hackers, cheaters and other related scum of the earth.” Furthermore, the developer also encouraged players to report any cheaters they might encounter in the game by saying, “report all these b****rds”.

It's certainly a strong stance made by Battlestate Games and we’re all up for getting rid of cheaters that ruin games for others. Sadly, it's a lucrative problem that will likely never cease to exist.

While the developers tackle cheaters in Escape from Tarkov, in 2020, they offered a rubbish excuse as to why there are no playable female characters in the game. Hopefully, female avatars might be a thing one day in the popular shooter.