Tencent, the Chinese multinational brand, recently collaborated with the Chinese police to raid and bring down what is being described as the “world’s biggest” video game-cheat operation, in the county of Kunshan, China. Officially called Operation “Chicken Drumstick”, the sting led to the arrest of 10 suspects, along with the seizure of approximately UYS$46 million (~RM190.5 million) in assets.
The seized assets also include several luxury cars, all of which were purchased with the money illegally gained through the group’s operations. According to the BBC, the organisation had revenue of close to US$76 million (~RM315 million), earned through subscription fees charged to its clientele. the prices ranged from a daily fee of US$10 (~RM42) and up to US$200 (~RM829) per month. On average, the group’s daily earnings was reportedly in the realm of US$10000 (~RM41500).
The Chinese police known as Kunshan police were working with Tencent Games to take down the biggest Cheat provider based in China they were Jailed and around $46m in assets were Seized this is the BIGGEST GAME Cheating provider bust ever
Cheaters never prosper what a big win pic.twitter.com/WBfkjNiP2g
— Anti-Cheat Police Department 🕵️ (@AntiCheatPD) March 28, 2021
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As to the service the group provides, it designs and provides cheat codes to its customer, which can then be used in online games. This includes titles like Overwatch and Call of Duty Mobile, to name a couple. These cheat codes came in the form of “Subscription keys” and would enable users to utilise a variety of hacks, and how long users have access to them is, again, based on the subscription plan they have opted for.
Like many aspects of life, cheating is an act as old as time. In the realm of online gaming, cheats give players an unfair advantage over other players and can also ruin the overall experience. That in turn leads could lead to game developers or publisher losing players by the droves, and Tencent knows this.
