UPDATE
We reported yesterday that a whopping 24,837 people were banned from Daybreak's H1Z1 for cheating. That figure has since been updated to 30K. Daybreak president John Smedley suggested yesterday that if any of these 'cockroaches' wanted unbanned then a public apology on YouTube would be the way forward.
And lo and behold, people have actually been apologising for cheating. On YouTube. Smedley has made a statement on the videos on Reddit. "I'll give you my perspective," he says. "So far we've unbanned 3 people out of 30k we've now banned. One of which is probably about to get re-banned for taking his video private."
"I want to make sure it's clear there are consequences for cheating. You don't just get to make a video and get unbanned. This is a very limited time thing to try and raise awareness of what's actually going on. You may say "hey there clearly aren't consequences if you are unbanning people". Let's get back to the part where I said we've unbanned 3 people. If these videos go far and wide and it elevates the importance of getting rid of the cheaters in PC gaming, I feel it's an excellent trade."
Since then, 5 people have been unbanned. See above if you want to experience these cheating confessions from some seriously sheepish PC gamers. It's worth it just for the sentence "After 600 hours in a game, I really just felt like I had no other option." Enjoy. You masochist you.
ORIGINAL STORY
In one of the largest and most brutal swings of the mighty ban hammer in gaming history, ex Sony Online Entertainment devs Daybreak Game Company has banned 24,837 cheaters from its PC zombie survival H1Z1. Daybreak president John Smedley explained the cull on Twitter, and he didn’t hold back.
“Want to get rid of the banned people's stuff. Purge their existence,” he tweeted, adding, “You don't think we know these cockroaches? We do. We are going to be relentless and public. Screw not provoking them.”
It doesn’t matter that you’ve spent £14.99 or $20 on H1Z1, which is still in Early Access on Steam. If you join the hordes of cheaters shooting through walls, using aimbots and instant-kill weapons, removing weapon recoil, and avoiding falling damage, your access to the game is revoked. As Smedley puts it, “tough shit.” Unless, that is, you’re willing to apologise...
“Dear Cheaters who got banned,” tweeted Smedley. “Many of you are emailing me, apologizing and admitting it. Thank you. However.. You're doing it wrong.”
If you want us to even consider your apology a public YouTube apology is necessary. No personal information please. Email me the linkMay 20, 2015
“Please address your apology to fellow players, not us. Although you hurt our business this is about them not us,” he continued, assuring followers that it's not about the money but the idea of those who play by the rules suffering.
So there you have it. If you’re banned from H1Z1, there’s a way back, and it involves grovelling. While he’s yet to be taken up on his offer, it’s worth following to watch events unfold.
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