Valorant's New Anti-Cheat Measures: Ranked Rollbacks to Combat Cheaters
Valorant is escalating its fight against cheaters with the introduction of ranked rollbacks. This new system will reverse a player's rank or progress if their match was compromised by hackers. The goal is to deter cheating and ensure fair gameplay for all Valorant players. Importantly, players who were on the same team as a cheater will retain their rank rating, preventing unfair penalties for those unintentionally paired with hackers.
The recent surge in cheating activity prompted Riot Games to announce these stricter measures. Phillip Koskinas, Riot's head of anti-cheat, publicly acknowledged the problem and outlined the new rollback strategy. He emphasized Riot's enhanced capabilities to combat cheating, stating they can now "hit so much harder." A chart highlighting the significant number of cheater bans in January, peaking on January 13th, further underscored the scale of the issue and Riot's proactive response.
Ranked Rollbacks: Protecting Players from Cheater-Influenced Matches
Addressing player concerns about winning matches with cheaters on their team, Koskinas clarified that players teamed with hackers will keep their rank, while the opposing team will have their rank adjusted to negate the unfair advantage. While acknowledging potential inflationary effects, Riot believes this approach is necessary to address the problem effectively.
Valorant's Vanguard anti-cheat system, utilizing kernel-level access, has been highly effective in identifying and banning cheaters. Its success has even inspired similar anti-cheat implementations in other games like Call of Duty. Despite past successes in reducing cheating, the persistent nature of the problem necessitates ongoing efforts.
Thousands of previous bans demonstrate Riot's commitment to maintaining a fair playing environment. The effectiveness of the new ranked rollback system remains to be seen, but it represents a significant step in Riot's ongoing battle against cheaters in Valorant.
