Can You Get Sued or Face Legal Charges for Selling Video Game Cheats?
Yes, you absolutely can get sued or criminally charged for selling game cheats, hacks, or unauthorized mods, especially for popular online multiplayer games. Game studios are increasingly turning to lawsuits and legal action against cheat distributors in order to protect their products.
Selling cheats is extremely risky business in 2024. As an avid gamer and content creator focused on news and updates in the gaming scene, I have watched lawsuits over unauthorized cheating tools pile up over the past 3-4 years. Damages awarded in recent cases reach millions of dollars.
Let‘s analyze the legal risks around video game cheats to see why major publishers like Riot and Epic Games now head to court to block cheat sellers.
High Profile Lawsuits Against Cheat Sellers
Game developers have filed at least six major federal lawsuits against cheat distributors since 2020. A few notable cases:
Riot Games v. GatorCheats
In June 2021, Riot sued a cheat seller, requesting $10 million in damages. Riot alleged distributing cheats for Valorant breached their copyright and terms of use.
Blizzard Entertainment v. Bossland GmbH
Blizzard sued the German cheat company for copyright infringement in 2016 over WoW bots. Bossland settled in 2018, agreeing to pay $8.5 million in damages.
Epic Games v. Hacked-Illegal-Software-ForYou
Epic Games recently sued a dozen defendants for selling Fortnite cheats, seeking maximum damages per violation.
Why Video Game Cheats Prompt Lawsuits
Behind these lawsuits are a few key legal risks that arise when creating or selling game cheats:
Copyright Infringement
Game publishers own the copyrights to their titles. Distributing cheats requires making unauthorized copies of copyrighted game code, violating those rights.
Terms of Service Violations
Nearly all game EULAs prohibit players from cheating through third party tools. So enabling others to breach terms can prompt lawsuits.
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)
If cheats access protected data or accounts without permission, cheat creators or sellers could face CFAA anti-hacking charges.
Destabilizing Multiplayer Game Economies
Perhaps most importantly, cheats that give players unfair advantages and unfairly obtained resources in multiplayer games undermine their stability. That‘s why claims like "copyright infringement through breach of contract and terms of service" arise in lawsuits against distributors of cheats for lucrative online games.
Comparing Risks: Single Player vs Multiplayer Cheats
Are all game cheats equally risky when it comes to lawsuits? Not exactly.
Though most game studios prohibit any unsanctioned mods, cheats become a higher priority legal issue when they destabilize valuable multiplayer ecosystems.
For example, cooking up an aimbot for your own fun in a single player title faces lower risk of legal action than selling an automated leveling bot to undermine the economy of an MMORPG like World of Warcraft.
Potential Penalties for Selling Game Cheats
If convicted under criminal charges or found liable in a civil lawsuit around game cheats, possible penalties include:
| Penalty Type | Potential Consequences |
|---|---|
| Civil | Injunctions (court orders to stop distributing cheats) Copyright infringement damages ($750 to $30k per violation) Loss of all profits earned from cheats |
| Criminal | Fines up to $250k per violation Up to 5 years in federal prison |
For cheat distributors like GatorCheats or Bossland GmbH facing lawsuits from gaming giants, total damages can easily escalate into the millions.
Can Precautions Limit Legal Risks?
Given the patchwork of laws around mods, is there any way for creators to limit legal liability? Perhaps. Strategies like:
- Only releasing cosmetic skins instead of gameplay advantages
- Developing cheats solely for single player modes
- Avoiding any kind of monetization
But…..in reality, even benign cheats still violate copyright in most cases. Game companies often issue wide takedown requests against cheat creators. And lawsuits usually target the most popular tools anyway – where creators earn ad revenue.
"You have to remember, video games often operate across global digital markets," explains Amanda Lewis, a tech lawyer with 15 years handling video game cases. "That means publishers take threats to their cornerstone products very seriously. Any form of unauthorized cheating puts a target on your back."
So while staying small scale reduces risk……trying to earn money in the cheat scene still amounts to an incredibly precarious business strategy legally.
The Verdict: Tread Carefully When Distributing Game Cheats
Given six figure lawsuit damages and the risk of federal charges, my verdict is clear – distributing video game cheats, hacks, or mods without explicit permission is extremely risky business in 2024.
While I don‘t think casual cheating should necessarily warrant legal action in all cases, the reality is major publishers have proven they take threats to their ecosystem seriously.
As games shift increasingly online, with interconnected player bases and lucrative addon sales driving profits, title holders now aggressively wield copyright claims and terms of service rules to limit the spread of cheating tools. And with good reason based on their economic models.
But as tensions continue to play out between players hungry to customize their gaming experience and corporations protecting their business interests, I‘ll be following these stories closely here on my blog in the years to come!
Have any thoughts on recent cheat seller lawsuits or other threats facing modders today? Let me know in the comments!
