343 Industries surprised its players by releasing Halo Infinite’s multiplayer early two weeks ago. It was a nice present for fans who had been waiting for a new game, but now they’re dealing with a problem that could detract from the game’s positive reception: cheaters.
Many people have reported hackers flooding their lobbies with exploits that grant them aimbot, wallhacks, infinite ammo, infinite abilities, increased speed, and even a name spoofer that changes their names to make it difficult to track and report them in the last week.
Lucid, an OpTic Gaming pro, recently encountered a cheater during one of his games, and the person he was accusing was, ironically, streaming. The streamer denied the allegations, but his cheating system was displayed on screen for all to see. Shortly after, his Twitch account was suspended.
This is a significant problem that 343 will have to address as long as Halo Infinite’s multiplayer remains free-to-play, making the game more accessible to a wider audience than it would have been if it had been included with the rest of the game at its premium price point. Players can simply create new accounts and continue to cheat, implying that the problem may never be fully resolved.
Some players are also calling for cross-play to be disabled until the cheating issue is resolved, citing the fact that console players, unlike PC players, do not have to worry about hackers.
It’s unclear how the developers will respond to the increased number of cheaters, as well as other community complaints. Halo Infinite’s slow progression system and lackluster customization were already a source of frustration for players, but hackers could make things even worse.
After a spike in cheaters, Halo Infinite players are demanding cross-play removal and stronger anti-cheat measures.
