Welcome to the world of esports, where the digital realm collides with the competitive spirit to create thrilling gaming experiences. However, not all players adhere to the rules of fair play, as demonstrated by a recent hacking incident in the popular shooter game Apex Legends.
Last month, a skilled hacker managed to infiltrate an esports tournament for Apex Legends, causing chaos by using cheats on two well-known streamers in the middle of a game. The event was temporarily suspended as a result of the hack, prompting the game’s developers to take action.
A month has passed since the incident, and it appears that the saga has finally reached its end. Apex Legends developer Respawn has released a series of updates to address the vulnerability exploited by the hacker.
On March 17, the organizers were forced to halt the tournament due to the hack. Two days later, Respawn announced on their official X account that they had “deployed the first of a layered series of updates to protect the Apex Legends player community.” A week later, the company revealed that they had “added another update that is intended to further protect our players and ensure the competitive integrity of Apex Legends.”
While Respawn’s posts do not explicitly state that the updates fixed the bugs used by the hacker, the culprit himself confirmed that his exploit no longer works. According to the hacker, known as Destroyer2009, Respawn’s patches effectively resolved the vulnerability he had used to hack the two streamers.
In an online chat, Destroyer2009, who previously claimed that he had only hacked the streamers “for fun,” stated that he has no intention of revealing the technical details of the vulnerability. He also mentioned that he had worked with a friend to develop the hack, but they both agreed not to divulge any information publicly.
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Destroyer2009 also commented on a separate in-game update that backfired earlier this week, stating that he has no interest in shaming Respawn any further.
“I don’t think embarrassing them even more is fair,” he said.
The high-profile hacks conducted by Destroyer2009 caused quite a stir in the Apex Legends community. The two streamers who were targeted, ImperialHal and Geburten, have a combined following of 2.5 million on the game streaming platform Twitch. Numerous other players and streamers within the community discussed the news of the hacks on their channels.
Unfortunately, Respawn has been tight-lipped about the updates they released. TechCrunch reached out to both Respawn and Electronic Arts, the owners of the development studio, to confirm if the exploit used by Destroyer2009 has indeed been patched and when it was addressed. However, neither company responded to our requests for comment, and they have not responded to previous inquiries either.
As for Destroyer2009, he stated that he has no plans to conduct any more public hacks at the moment. “Anything more severe than the [Apex tournament hack] incident will be considered as a legitimate hacking, with all the consequences that come with it, so I’ll just continue playing the game until I get bored,” he said.
Esports may provide an exciting and immersive gaming experience for players and viewers alike, but incidents like this serve as a reminder that not all gamers play by the rules. Hopefully, with the necessary measures put in place, future tournaments will be conducted with integrity and fairness at the forefront. Happy gaming!
