Last week, Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) slapped a ban the coaches from CS: GO teams Hard Legion, Heroic, and MIRB for exploiting a bug that allowed the coaches to spectate the game from anywhere on the map. The coaches allegedly relayed ill-gotten information onto their teams leading to victories that they may not have earned organically. The bans ranged from six months up to two years with the ability for the banned coaches to appeal their decision. The ESIC did lead an investigation to see if any players were complicit in the exploit, but no evidence was found.
The ESIC is leading a deeper investigation into CS: GO matches as far back as 2016. ESIC is planning on reviewing 25,000 demos pertaining to CS: GO games played between 2016 and 2020 with the assistance of Michal Slowinski and Steve Dudenhoeffer who first discovered the glitch along with the application of new AI. ESIC is expecting the investigation to last eight months which will include some manual investigation of questionable cases. They will also release monthly updates to the public.
ESIC will be handing out class four bans just as they gave the coaches and the length will vary depending on severity and repetition. ESIC is offering a confession period up to September 13th. ESIC will still hold the right to pass out sanctions to people who confess depending on their severity and sincerity of their confession. ESIC hopes that after reviewing the five terabytes worth of footage, that the exploit will stop being used.
The ESIC was established back in 2016 as a non-profit organization, and it is their mission to protect esports games from cheaters in order to preserve the integrity of the sport. ESIC supports various game developers, tournament organizers, and gambling operators, all of whom need as fair of a game as possible and to uphold their codes of conduct.