PUBG Mobile dev log 12/21: Developers reveal their anti-hacking efforts

PUBG Mobile, one of the pioneers of mobile gaming and esports, has witnessed continuous success since its launch. The game has become the top revenue earner in the mobile gaming market.

A lot of credit for this success goes to the developers of the title, who constantly bring exciting additions that the playerbase enjoys.

PUBG Mobile has also been keen to make its playing environment fair and safe. Its initiative, the BanPan, has been quite instrumental in dealing with cheaters in the game.

The developers are constantly upgrading an anti-cheat, adding new features to it, and publishing weekly ban reports to detect and ban players for cheating as soon as possible.

PUBG Mobile developers put out a dev log, which provides an inside look at how PUBG Mobile's anti-cheat initiative works. The process and features were explained through a video published on the social media handles of PUBG Mobile.

A lot goes into keeping our #BanPan in tip-top shape 🍳😈 We're excited to give you an insider look into PUBG MOBILE's anti-hacking efforts with this dev log! 📓😄🍳 #PUBGMDevLogLearn more about our anti-cheat initiatives at 🔗 https://t.co/YdeCgfdOcr pic.twitter.com/5Vap5n9orc

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) February 12, 2021

The developers stated that the leaderboards are heavily scrutinized both automatically and manually.

PUBG Mobile uses various methods such as machine learning, eligibility restriction, manual review, video review station, and many other powerful tools. There's a dedicated staff unit to keep the leaderboards clean, and the unit will be increasing its numbers soon.

PUBG Mobile then stated that the companies selling these cheats are fooling customers by saying they won't get banned. It also said that there is no such thing as an "Anti Ban" and the reports can't be prevented from reaching the developers.

Fact: Nothing is as satisfying as using the #BanPan 🍳 From January 29th through February 4th, we permanently blocked 1,994,845 users from accessing our game. The majority of reasons were:❌ X-Ray Vision❌ Auto-Aim Hacks❌ Speed HacksLearn more at 🔗 https://t.co/YdeCgfdOcr pic.twitter.com/cgxKW1A8X5

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) February 6, 2021

Answering questions on why the game doesn't use two-factor authentication and device banning, the developers said these features had been considered. Still, they are not feasible due to ease of evasion, legal restrictions in different countries, and a negative impact on the honest players.

PUBG Mobile said that these features can be easily bypassed by easily accessible software that changes the device ID, the country location, and generate phone numbers from all around the world.

The officials then said that as soon as there is 100% certainty about a player hacking, the account is banned immediately. The officials also highlighted that the systems work in real-time with a huge amount of information. This takes a lot of processor resources and memory. That's why human and computer evaluation is required.

The developers then stated that players were constantly penalized for teaming up with hackers to increase their rank. As a first violation for teaming with hackers, the developers reset the rank of the player involved and give a warning.

On the second offense, the account of the said player can be banned as well. The players that getting matched with a cheater won't get a player banned as the system knows the difference between deliberate and accidental team-up. Players were also encouraged to report these players in-game.

Touching on the esports aspect of the game, PUBG Mobile said that the competitive integrity of the game remains intact. It stressed that it is difficult to distinguish cheaters from normal players in esports as they are playing at a level way higher than the average player.

During the pandemic, it has been quite challenging for the team to maintain integrity in online events.

To combat this, the officials said that they had taken various measures. Competing players were provided a device in which no foreign software can be installed. Other measures were also taken but couldn't be revealed for obvious reasons.

The team also said that the bans are never solely based on reports but after a careful evaluation by both human and machine resources. The report system has made the process of removing cheaters faster and more accurate.

Summing it up, PUBG Mobile has said that it has constantly been upgrading its anti-cheat system through the years by adding new features that greatly reduce the ability of the players to cheat.

The team also said that it wasn't resting on its accomplishments. In 2021, it's working towards expanding its security team to make sure that there's a safer and fairer environment made available for players.