Bungie has filed a lawsuit against those creating and selling Ring-1, software that can be used to cheat in Destiny 2.
On August 1, Bungie filed suit against the cheat developer’s continued distribution of Ring-1 (via TorrentFreak).
The case names 50 defendants who are accused of copyright infringement, civil RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), circumvention of technical measures in violation of the DMCA, violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, breach of contract, interference with contractual relations and civil conspiracy.
It’s the latest in a string of high-profile lawsuits that Bungie has filed against cheaters in recent years. In February 2023, the studio acknowledged it had spent over £1.6million trying to fight cheats in Destiny 2, and in the same month, it won a £3.7million settlement from cheat vendor AimJunkies.
“Bungie’s litigation, and litigation victories, have not gone unnoticed; they have been widely covered in the gaming industry press and beyond,” said Bungie in its latest lawsuit.
“Defendants, in other words, have been more than placed on notice that their conduct is tortious, wrongful, and in fact illegal, and have had every opportunity to voluntarily cease it,” continued Bungie in its complaint filed to the Washington court.
The sale and use of cheats allegedly “violates a raft of federal and state laws, breaches users’ contracts with Bungie, and is a basis for significant tort liability,” as well as “violate[s] copyright law [and] the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provisions”.
In 2022, Bungie general counsel Don McGowan said that eradicating cheating from Destiny 2 is “good business”. He justified that “tolerating bad actors chases away a lot of people who would like to enjoy our products” and resolving toxicity in any form is “the right thing to do”.
In other gaming news, one of Larian Studios‘ senior writers has expressed their surprise over how “horny” Baldur’s Gate 3 is, ahead of its release on August 3.