Blockchain-based extraction shooter game Shrapnel identified numerous users trying “to gain an unfair advantage in matches” and warned of a permanent ban against all forms of manipulation.
Shrapnel users were found using two illegal strategies — teaming and account sharing — to rank higher on the leaderboard during one of its early access gameplay events. Several Web3 gamers teamed up and coordinated their queues to take down other players, which highly impacts solo players.
Additionally, users were found accessing the same player account from multiple devices, implying an unfair advantage through teamwork. The company’s statement added:
“This includes but is not limited to sharing login credentials, giving access to in-game characters, items, or progress to others, or using another person's account.”
Shrapnel revealed that it has systems in place to detect the aforementioned anomalies, which violates the game’s terms of use while warning that “Any players found to be violating our Terms of Use will be removed from the current STX leaderboard and considered for a permanent ban.”
Important Announcement for Shrapnel STX Players!
— SHRAPNEL (@playSHRAPNEL) February 24, 2024
We want to address some concerning behavior that we've identified within our community. As we continue our journey through the early alpha playtest STX events, it's crucial to ensure fair play and maintain the integrity of… pic.twitter.com/TYZizkVRpi
They also encouraged players to report any instances of abuse as the game prepares to go fully live:
“It’s essential that we identify and rectify all issues before the game transitions to fully live status, especially as players begin extracting with NFTs and other digital assets.”
However, a community member said the decision “penalizes" the guilds and communities that prefer playing team matches. Responding to the criticism, Shrapnel said that it would remove only the users who are found unfairly coordinating to climb the leaderboard and not those playing with their friends.
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In September 2023, Shrapnel decided to bar users in the United States from cashing out in-game assets owing to regulatory complications with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). However, the game will remain unrestricted for players from Europe and Asia.
In a Sept. 13, 2023, interview with Cointelegraph, Shrapnel Head of Economy Francis Brankin said:
“They [U.S. users] can do everything every other player can do, but they can’t cash out. Because that’s what makes it a security to the U.S. player, as soon as they can realize monetary value, that’s where the problem comes in.”
However, Brankin hopes the issue will be temporary and Neon — the team behind Shrapnel — will soon enable U.S. users to bridge capital accrued from Shrapnel to their bank accounts.
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