The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has initiated a fresh probe into possible occurrences of exploiting a game glitch to gain an edge, stretching back to as far as 2016.
The so-called “coach glitch” supposedly permitted coaches to utilize “free camera” to observe Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) matches, enabling them to view the game from any point on the map.
This practice allowed coaches to provide their teams with details about the adversaries’ positions during matches, giving them a competitive advantage.
After an ESIC-led inquiry, esports tournament organizers ESL and DreamHack prohibited three coaches this week for exploiting the glitch.
However, ESIC now states that after examining a substantial amount of evidence, there are signs that the glitch might have been taken advantage of as early as 2016, and will formally examine the matter.
ESIC firmly believes that identifying, revealing, and penalizing any entity engaged in esports fraud is paramount for the integrity of competition and the overall well-being of the industry.
The organization will undertake a thorough examination, encompassing the analysis of roughly 25,000 recorded matches related to CS:GO games played between 2016 and 2020. Based on this evidence, ESIC will implement standard penalties on any individuals found to have violated the rules.
ESIC also declared that all significant suspect recordings will be manually reviewed, and groups of standard sanctions will be publicly disclosed on a monthly basis after the investigation concludes.
HTLV.org, a specialized CS:GO news platform acquired by Better Collective in March, will assist in the investigation by providing approximately 5TB of recorded matches stored on its servers.
The investigation is anticipated to span eight months and will cover all of ESIC’s members, including ESL, DreamHack, BLAST, WePlay, Eden Esports, UMG, and UCC.
ESIC will offer a “confession period” from today (September 4th) to September 13th, during which parties can come forward and acknowledge any misconduct related to the exploit.
Moreover, ESIC will permit all parties to appeal to its independent disciplinary panel for any individuals determined to have exploited the exploit during the investigation.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has concluded its extensive inquiry into allegations of cheating in the Mountain Dew League (MDL) esports competition. The investigation uncovered fifteen instances of rule violations.
ESIC stated that they received numerous reports regarding questionable betting activity over the past eighteen months, prompting the initiation of the investigation.
MDL is a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) tournament organized by ESL and Mountain Dew. It provides an opportunity for aspiring players to pursue a professional gaming career.