The Division: Cheat once and we will ban you forever says Ubisoft

Not even once

The Division has announced it will be punishing cheating players by permanently banning them from the game, even if they’re first-time offenders.They were warned and they didn’t listen so Ubisoft has been forced to take stronger action in the online multiplayer game.

Cheating has been a big source of frustration in The Division community, with Ubisoft receiving complaints that players have been gaining unfair advantages by using third-party software to exploit the game’s online infrastructure and improve their performance.

Previously cheaters would receive fourteen day suspensions from the game but the studio has just announced that this has not been as effective as it had initially hoped and more serious action would be taken, stating: “Judging from your feedback, and based on what we witnessed when cheaters came back to the game, we have now decided to push our policy one step further."

Ubisoft reported that prior to this they had already started an intense campaign to improve cheat detection and as a result they took action against over 30,000 accounts, including issuing 3800 permanent bans but clearly this wasn't enough of a deterent and we imagine the number of permanent bans is about to rapidly increase with the new zero tolerance policy.

Players who have no interest in cheating the system will undoubtedly be relieved to see Ubisoft taking the matter so seriously: “We are committed to constantly improve your experience in the game, and this begins with ensuring a positive and fair environment free of noxious players willingly violating the rules. We will take all steps necessary to track down cheaters and make sure they cannot spoil your enjoyment of the game."