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No-one likes a cheat, of course, but sometimes things should maybe be put in a little more perspective.
At a time when games journalists and PRs are being targeted for even the slightest mishap or risk comment, the president of Sony Online Entertainment John Smedley has embarked on a possibly ill-advised Twitter tirade against Planestside 2 hackers.
As well as bragging about the company’s ability to easily identify perpetrators, the exec also took to threatening individuals.
Comments included [sic]:
those of you using aimbots are being hunted down and banned. Remember to use /report. People are being banned left and right.”
we have guys who’s purpose in life is to ban the bad guys and dumbasses that use hacking tools.”
we aren’t commenting on the methods. Needless to say we have a lot of ways to accomplish a goal.”
Haruhi at http://artificialaiming.com was just banned. all 3 of his accounts. Goodbye you scumbag. Find a new hobby or get good at the game.”
we don’t need to cross reference anything. Use it.. we’ll find you. we’ll find your family. we’ll hunt you down.”
MCV has contacted SOE for comment.
UPDATE: After speaking with SOE, it seems to fair to point out – as if it were not already obvious – that Smedley was of course not threatening anyone with real and genuine violence. To put the "hunt" tweet into its full context, it was in two parts that when combined read as follows:
"We don’t need to cross reference anything. Use it.. we’ll find you. we’ll find your family. we’ll hunt you down. or maybe I’ve been watching the trailer for Zero Dark Thirty too much. seriously we’re on this."
Smedley also said at the same time that "I have no hacker hate. Actually I just don’t like cheaters. No ill will to the guys that try" and has since added "Just to a make sure people know I was joking – we aren’t hunting down hacker’s families. Someone thought I was being too aggressive".
UPDATE 2: John Smedley has offered MCV the following quote: "We take the integrity of Planetside 2 very seriously. We are putting the full force of our best people behind making sure hackers never get a foothold in the game. They will be hunted down without mercy and we won’t let the door hit them on the way out."
