ESIC Launches Investigation into CS:GO Coaching Bug Exploited Since 2016

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has initiated a fresh probe into potential occurrences of exploiting a game glitch for an edge, dating back to 2016.

This purported “coaching bug” enabled coaches to utilize a “free camera” to observe Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) matches, allowing them to view the game from any spot on the map.

This practice permitted coaches to furnish their teams with intel regarding the opponents’ locations during matches, granting them a competitive edge.

Following an ESIC-led inquiry, esports tournament organizers ESL and DreamHack suspended three coaches this week for taking advantage of the bug.

However, ESIC now asserts that after examining a substantial quantity of evidence, there are signs that the glitch may have been exploited as early as 2016 and will formally investigate the matter.

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) firmly believes that probing, revealing, and penalizing any organization associated with esports fraud is crucial for the well-being of competitive fairness and, ultimately, the entire industry.

This extensive examination will entail scrutinizing roughly 25,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) match recordings, encompassing contests from 2016 to 2020. Based on this evidence, ESIC will formulate standardized penalties applicable to all individuals implicated in misconduct.

ESIC also declared that all key suspect recordings will be manually reviewed, and standardized sanction groups will be publicly disseminated monthly upon the conclusion of the inquiry.

CS:GO news website HTLV.org, acquired by Better Collective in March, will aid the investigation by providing approximately 5 terabytes of match recordings stored on its servers.

The investigation is projected to span eight months and will encompass all ESIC members, including ESL, DreamHack, BLAST, WePlay, Eden Esports, UMG, and UCC.

In conjunction with the investigation, ESIC will have a “plea period” commencing today (September 4th) and concluding on September 13th, during which parties can come forward and acknowledge any wrongdoing related to the exploit.

Furthermore, ESIC will permit all parties discovered to have exploited the exploit during the investigation to appeal to its independent disciplinary panel.

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) is nearing the end of their extensive probe into allegations of cheating within the Mountain Dew League (MDL) esports scene. They have scrutinized a total of fifteen instances of potential rule violations.

ESIC disclosed that they received numerous reports concerning dubious betting activities over the past eighteen months. These reports served as the catalyst for their investigation.

MDL is a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) competition organized by ESL and Mountain Dew. It offers aspiring players a platform to showcase their abilities and potentially transition into professional gaming.