Destiny 2 launched this week on PC, but not without its issues. According to Destiny 2 PC gamers, Bungie banned players from the game for using certain overlay software while playing. PC gamers claim that Bungie did not make it clear as to why the bans occurred, and that the actions taken by the company seemed extreme.
One Reddit thread was created as a ‘PSA’ for gamers to avoid being banned, while also discussing their concerns and shock over the ban. Some Reddit members believed using overlay programs such as Discord and Xsplit with Destiny 2 running resulted in automatic and permanent bans, while others were unsure if this was a strange measure taken by Bungie to prevent cheating.
Bungie released statement about the bans on their official website, addressing these concerns. According to the statement, “bans were applied to players who were using tools that pose a threat to the shared ecosystem of the game,” which most likely means players were using software to cheat or software that went against Bungie’s no-modding policies. Bungie also states players can only be banned “after a manual investigation,” which debunks rumors that the bans occurred automatically. Bans were not issued over fans using “overlays or performance tools including Discord, Xsplit, OBS, RTSS, etc.,” and about 400 Destiny 2 PC users were banned in total. Some players have been un-banned after Bungie reviewed their cases, even though all bans were thought to be permanent.
On their official website, Bungie has listed actions that may cause players to be banned from Destiny 2 such as modding game software and hardware, modding game assets, using graphic hacks, piracy, impersonating a Bungie employee, hacking other player’s accounts, and using hate speech in-game. Bungie may choose to not only ban players, but also ban their devices should they continue to exhibit behavior that is against the rules. Bans and account restrictions cannot be disputed.
Bungie has not released an announcement regarding specifics of the 400 bans, but players should make sure they follow the company’s policies to avoid account restrictions at the very least.