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Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

ESIC investigators share update on CSGO spectator bug

Dozens of cases of cheating have been uncovered, and the investigation isn't done yet.

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The Esports Integrity Commission has shared an update on its ongoing investigation into the exploit of a bug in Counter-Striker: Global Offensive.

The bug allowed team coaches to spectate matches from any position on the map, and after investigating thousands of matches dating back to 2016, they have discovered a number of guilty parties. What's more, only 20% of nearly 100,000 cases have been reviewed.

96 examples have been uncovered thus far, with 37 people implicated, although 19 coaches admitted their guilt during a confessional period. Using a tiered demerit points system to judge the seriousness of each case, competitive bans have been handed out (details on who got hit with what can be found here).

Sanctions will prevent coaches from joining official servers and communicating with players before and after matches, among other things.

"We understand that these revelations have been tough for many people within the CS:GO community, but we believe it is in the long term best interests of the game and all of esports for integrity breaches to be dealt with head on," the ESIC wrote in a statement.

"We know that most coaches, players, tournament organisers, publishers and developers, fans, sponsors and broadcasters want CS:GO and esports to be clean and a fair competition between players and teams doing their very best to win. We see our job as being to ensure that that happens and that corrupt and bad actors are rehabilitated or removed."

At this stage, no players have been implicated as investigators "could not ascertain, with any reasonable certainty, whether the teams related to the offending parties were complicit in the exploitation of the Spectator Bug at the time that the offences took place." That being so, the ESIC has encouraged "the community to refrain from speculation" on this aspect.

The investigation is likely to conclude next month with a full report, although the ESIC acknowledges that things may change subject to any additional complications that arise.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Photo: ESIC

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