PUBG’s esports branch has issued a ruling on the pro players caught in a recent cheating ban wave. The organisation confirms that many of the big names associated with the ban wave are going to be suspended, but many of the organisations those teams played for will be able to hold onto the spots earned during qualifiers.
The exception is French team Sans Domicile Fixe, which “will lose its Contenders League spot because its players cheated during PEL Qualifiers” – but the team will be free to join future events as long as it’s with a new roster. The announcement notes “we have no suspicion the organization was aware of the cheating activities by the players.”
For Red Diamonds and Pittsburgh Knights, they’ll need to replace the suspended players, but otherwise will be able to keep their PEL spots. The announcement says there’s no evidence any Red Diamonds players made use of cheats during qualifiers, and while Pittsburgh Knights were directly invited, there’s no indication that any players there used cheating programs in professional play.
Players who cheated in public games but not pro play will be suspended for two years as of today. Those who cheated in pro matches will get three-year suspensions, and that also goes for players who knew about cheating activity from teammates. “We believe that condoning the cheating activities of teammates to share the common benefit should be as severely punished as performing the activities itself.”
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This all comes after a ban wave targeting radar hack, which took down a bunch of pro players alongside numerous user accounts. The community is divided over whether these punishments go far enough, and whether the teams whose players cheated should face more stringent action.