One of the most promising teams striving to qualify in the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) has been banned, with EA explaining on Dec. 15 that two of its team members have cheated. The players deny cheating, and claim their accounts were flagged because they were gaming at an internet cafe in Kazakhstan.
The EMEA team has played in every preseason qualifier for ALGS Year 4, with their success placing them at the top of the leaderboard. If they were to play in the final weekend of the qualifiers, regardless of whether they win the tournament or not, consistent performance would likely see them qualify for the EMEA pro league.
On Dec. 14, only a few days from the final weekend of qualifiers, player Igor “G0_Zh” Zhukov posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he and his teammate Rostislav “PlushkaHDD” Chertovskikh had their accounts disabled “by mistake.” They explain that the most likely reason, from their perspective, is that they were “playing from a Kazakhstan internet cafe.”
If this were the case, it is possible that a mistake had been made. Internet cafes are often used by misguided players to install cheats. These cheats can affect other players using the same PC if the illegal software isn’t immediately identified and removed.
After over 24 hours of attempting to communicate to EA that they believe they should not have their accounts banned, G0_Zh posted an update stating that they did not get their accounts unbanned, and have also been banned on Battlefy, the platform used to register teams for the ALGS. He also confirmed that they have an indefinite ban from the ALGS overall.
Despite their claims of innocence, many are still accusing the team of intentionally cheating. Comments on their recent posts include Apex Legends pro player Vjeix, who taunted: “I think it’s better for you and Plushka to take your cheat to an offline game.”
Other players, however, voiced their support for the duo. ForbiddenGG player Zod1ac responded with sympathetic words: “Told you brother, worst company ever. Heads up,” referring to EA and Respawn’s management of Apex Legends. Pro player for Element 6, KSWINNIE, also voiced his support for their plight, claiming that the final preseason qualifier “should be delayed” until they are unbanned.
The largest unanswered question is whether EA provided solid proof that the two pro league hopefuls had been cheating. Although G0_Zh posted a screenshot of Battlefy’s notification that they cannot compete, they did not post any screenshot of the email they received from EA explaining the ban. It is possible that this email could contain more information on the decision, or even potentially expose the players as having cheated all along.
Bans have long been controversial and many are disputed in the ALGS. Early in the 2022 season, pro player Feu was banned after a slew of accusations from fellow competitors. He was also in an incredibly successful position, regularly leading in kills in PC lobbies around the world.
Bans can have an incredibly detrimental effect on the professional career of a potentially innocent player, which calls into question whether EA is thorough enough in their cheat detection. Accusations of poor management regularly circulate among both pros and casual players, so perhaps a bit of finetuning is in order.
Given the close proximity to the final PSQ tournament, it is highly unlikely that Redragon will be able to play. If innocent, their careers will have taken an immeasurable hit due to them missing the pro league qualification.
Whether more damning evidence will come to light is unknown, but with a possible explanation for an incorrect ban, it is concerning that the pro league hopefuls have suffered such a crushing defeat.
