Niantic is trying to make Pokemon Go more fair for its millions of players across the globe, this week officially confirming that it will ban any account that appears to be cheating.
“After reviewing many reports of in-game cheating, we have started taking action against players taking unfair advantage of and abusing Pokemon Go. Moving forward, we will continue to terminate accounts that show clear signs of cheating,” Niantic said.
The company didn’t specify what the “clear signs of cheating” are, but it will most likely target accounts using bots to level up at inhuman speeds, those with skewed location data and other hacks that violate its user guidelines. Anyone who believes their account has been unfairly banned can submit an appeal right here.
Trainers, we’re working hard to provide a fair, fun and legitimate game experience for all: https://t.co/aaYfjvECq0
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 19, 2016
Niantic recently shut down many third-party Pokemon Go tools like PokeVision, which displayed all of the creatures available for capture in a live map. Closing these services allowed the company to expand into new territories, the company explained.
Niantic isn’t alone in the fight against cheaters — Twitch is also on the hunt for players that violate Pokemon Go‘s guidelines. Anyone caught cheating in a live stream will receive a strike against his or her Twitch account.
