Game Industry: Examining Game Abuse and Response Strategies Through Real Cases
As the gaming industry continues to grow, the techniques of malicious users disrupting fair play have also become more sophisticated. In response, game companies are adopting AI-powered real-time detection systems to proactively combat fraudulent behavior.
Continuing from our previous discussion, today we’ll take a closer look at actual abuse cases and how companies are addressing them.
Nexon has implemented an AI-based security solution called GameScale to detect and penalize bot farms and cheat program users in real time. This solution analyzes vast amounts of game data to detect abnormal behavior by comparing it with normal player patterns.
For instance, accounts using cheat programs or automated scripts show distinct input patterns compared to regular users. GameScale detects these discrepancies and applies automated penalties at the system level, helping Nexon maintain a fair gaming environment and build user trust.
Main Tactics Detected by AI
Representative methods used by fraudulent players include:
Cheat Programs
Aimbot: Automatically aims and fires with high precision.
ESP (Extra Sensory Perception): Displays enemy positions, health, and item info.
Wallhack: Allows users to see enemies through walls, disabling stealth tactics.
Scripts and Bots
Automated tools that collect resources or experience without user input, often used in large scale farming operations.
Hardware Manipulation
Advanced abusers spoof hardware IDs or use custom devices to bypass security systems undetected.
Use of VPNs and Proxy Servers
Used to mask IPs, circumvent bans, or exploit overseas servers to evade restrictions.
AI-Driven Fraud
Increasingly, AI is used to learn gameplay patterns and create intelligent bots, turning abuse into an AI vs AI battle.
Case Study: Two Major “Gold Abuse” Incidents in Mabinogi
Mabinogi, Nexon’s flagship MMORPG, has long been loved for its sandbox features, but has suffered multiple "gold abuse" scandals that damaged its in-game economy.
In 2014, the first major incident involved a housing system bug that allowed players to exploit lag in the transaction system to duplicate items and generate massive amounts of gold. This caused severe inflation and economic imbalance. Nexon permanently banned involved accounts and retrieved the illicitly generated gold.
In January 2025, another abuse occurred, this time exploiting a bug in the NPC shop system. In just 3.5 hours, 7.7 billion gold was illegitimately created. Though Nexon stated that short-term economic damage was lower than expected, systemic imbalance rising gold generation and reduced spending was confirmed. As a result, they plan to introduce new gold sinks and stricter gold control policies.
Affected users were compensated with premium rewards, but some expressed disappointment over temporary durations and questioned the sincerity and effectiveness of Nexon’s response.
These recurring abuse cases highlight how specific system flaws can threaten the entire game economy.
Nexon’s Event Reward Abuse Cases and Countermeasures
Event reward systems aim to engage players and drive content consumption. However, some players exploit system loopholes to repeatedly claim rewards:
Using multiple clients to claim rewards in parallel.
Bypassing regional limits via VPNs to claim region-specific benefits multiple times.
Creating multiple accounts under one identity to repeatedly redeem referral bonuses.
Such actions distort the game’s balance and create a sense of unfairness among honest players. Nexon has responded with account suspensions, resource rollbacks, and permanent bans for repeat offenders.
In some cases, event reward mechanisms were revised to prevent duplication and reinforce conditions. However, the structural vulnerabilities in event design and lack of robust account verification remain long term challenges. Preventive systems and identity-based controls must be implemented at the design stage.
Other Abuse Examples
Sudden Attack: Aimbot and wallhack usage continues to rise.
V4: Players abuse the early-game “reroll” mechanic to repeatedly obtain rare items.
Cyphers: Sub-accounts were used to disrupt gameplay intentionally.
Krafton’s Multi-Account Abuse and Countermeasures
As a global hit, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS faces sophisticated threats. Multi-account abuse is one of the most critical challenges Krafton aims to resolve through advanced technology and stricter policies.
To enter ranked games, players need survival mastery level 80. Some abusers used macros to auto-level accounts, which were later sold and used for cheating damaging the game’s competitive integrity.
Krafton introduced machine learning based detection models to identify abnormal play and expanded its auto sanctioning system to significantly increase ban rates.
Account Hijacking and Event Abuse
Post-2022 data showed 85% of permanently banned ranked accounts were created before PUBG became free-to-play. Many of these were hacked accounts used for cheating. Krafton developed separate models to detect compromised accounts and encouraged players to enable Steam Guard.
Others abused event rewards by creating multiple accounts, harming fairness. In response, Krafton tightened account creation policies and redesigned reward structures.
Abuse of Competitive Match Verification
SMS based verification systems were exploited via external services. Krafton introduced ARS based phone authentication and prevented number reuse to enhance security. This system applies to suspicious logins, inactive accounts, or when additional verification is required.
Real-Time Bans and Illegal Account Sharing
Krafton permanently bans 60,000 100,000 accounts weekly for cheating. It also publishes ban lists and encourages player reports and security participation.
Key Countermeasures Include:
Machine learning based behavior detection models.
Analysis and blocking of account supply chains.
Account creation restrictions and reward structure reforms.
ARS based secure verification system.
Proactive user education and security campaigns.
Krafton aims to strengthen the entire account security ecosystem not just penalize offenders. Their strategy reflects a shift from reactive measures to preemptive solutions.
Nexon vs Krafton: Lessons from Tackling Multi Account Abuse
As the game industry evolves, so do the tactics of malicious users. Both Nexon and Krafton, serving global players, continue to battle chronic problems like multi-account abuse an issue that undermines competition and reward systems.
In both companies, the number of accounts itself becomes an advantage. This creates structural weaknesses that invite abuse.
For example:
Nexon experienced cases where sub accounts were used to intentionally sabotage games.
Krafton saw rampant sales of ranked ready accounts and repeated event reward claims.
Multiple accounts also lower the barrier to entry for cheating. Krafton observed hackers targeting legacy free accounts, while Nexon implemented real time log analysis using Splunk to counter abuse.
Both companies use tech based detection:
Krafton uses machine learning.
Nexon has a dedicated anomaly detection team using time series log analysis.
Still, these efforts focus mainly on post-abuse detection. Without strong identity verification, preemptive prevention remains limited.
To truly overcome abuse, game companies must implement persistent user identification and secure authentication systems.
