More than half of multiplayer project developers have lost money or players due to cheaters, study finds
Analysts at Atomik Research attempted to study the current state of cheating in multiplayer games. To do this, they surveyed 250 developers of such titles from the US and the UK.
Note: the study was conducted at the request of Anybrain, a company that deals with anti-cheat and anti-fraud solutions for games, meaning they could have a vested interest in certain conclusions.
Below are some observations.
- 69% of surveyed developers admitted that they consider cheating a serious issue. Additionally, 51% reported having previously faced significant consequences from cheats, such as loss of revenue and player base.
- 76% of developers have implemented various anti-cheat systems in their games at different times. The most popular type is client-side anti-cheats, used in 50% of cases. AI solutions (48%) and third-party tools (42%) are also among the top choices. Most respondents use multiple methods to combat cheating simultaneously.
- Despite all efforts, 58% of teams using anti-cheats continue to receive regular complaints from gamers. Moreover, 55% of players are dissatisfied with the technical issues caused by the anti-cheats themselves.
- The majority of developers (88%) plan to increase their spending on combating cheating in the coming year. The report does not specify how much they currently spend on these efforts.
- 31% of developers have previously used anti-cheats but later removed them. They primarily explained their decision by stating that such systems reduce game performance or disrupt game design.
- Almost all surveyed developers are optimistic. A full 92% believe that the issue of cheating will eventually be resolved.