Police bust “world’s biggest” video game cheating ring worth $750 million

In a joint effort between Chinese police and gaming giant Tencent, the “world’s biggest” cheat provider has been shut down after they raked in more than $750 million.

In March 2020, a video game cheating ring was reported to the Chinese police. 12 months later and this operation has now been busted, allegedly marking the biggest takedown of a cheat provider in gaming history.

Offering cheats in video games has become an extremely lucrative business in recent years. Players across a variety of games were able to purchase temporary cheats through this now-defunct service. 

The cheat providers reportedly earned more than $10,000 USD every day by selling in-game boosts. From wall-hacks to aimbots, all types of cheats were on offer.

In total, the operation earned more than $764 million (USD) before being shut down on March 26, 2021.

“After gaining information, Kunshan police raided a few places, closed down 17 websites, and arrested 10 resellers,” the official report outlined.

The sellers of these cheats purchased luxury vehicles “up to the cost of $20 million.” Moreover, they used the profits to hold virtual currency and property to boot.

While the cheating service was mostly utilized in the Chinese market, this organization reportedly sold hacks globally.

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Mobile games were the primary focus of these cheats, with a heavy emphasis on hacks for third-person shooters. However, cheats for popular titles like Overwatch and even Valorant were available.

Players would purchase “subscription keys” to utilize hacks for a set period of time. It cost roughly $10 for a day of access, $50 for a week, or $200 for a month, according to the report.

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A portion of the luxury cars owned by one of the busted cheat providers.

“The reason it’s the world’s biggest bust,” boils down to three key factors, the Kunshan police explained.

“Firstly, because there are huge sums of money involved. Secondly, there are a lot of games involved. Games from places other than China are involved too.” The final factor is simply due to the enormous volume of users.

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Despite making at least five figures a day, those leading the charge for this provider have since had their assets seized and are facing jail time.

With one of the biggest cheat providers now out of commission, Chinese police assured that they will “continue to work hard to maintain the game environment.”