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Cheating

Photo of Team Spirit after winning IEM Cologne.

CS2 crowd cheating controversy reignites debate over live event security measures

by admin September 28, 2025

The recent controversy at FISSURE Playground 2 has reignited conversations about competitive integrity in esports, with professionals across the scene demanding stronger security measures at live tournaments.

The incident unfolded during the semifinals between Team Falcons and FURIA, where Falcons player Kyxsan repeatedly wiggled his crosshair through smoke at suspected enemy positions, relying on crowd reactions to guide his decisions on Nuke. The tactic quickly spiraled out of control, forcing organizers to disable the X-ray spectator feature mid-match to prevent further abuse.

Industry voices were quick to criticize the situation. Complexity general manager Messioso made his stance clear: “Crowd cheating is one thing. Players enticing the crowd into cheating for them by wiggling their crosshair into smokes or walls is significantly worse and should be punished severely.” His words highlighted just how damaging intentional crowd manipulation can be for the credibility of top-level competition.

Mild take

Crowd cheating is one thing.

Players enticing the crowd into cheating for them by wiggling their crosshair into smokes or walls is significantly worse and should be punished severely.

Disgraceful behaviour.

— Graham Pitt (@messioso) September 20, 2025

This problem is not new to Counter-Strike. The 2018 Boston Major saw Olofmeister engage in similar antics, though back then, the community largely laughed it off. The climate in 2025 is different, with multiple CS2 events this year facing crowd-related controversies; the issue is now systemic rather than isolated.

Tournament organizers are exploring several fixes. Some events have tested separating audiences from players, while others have leaned toward stricter penalties for disruptive spectators. As seen at FISSURE, protocols now allow for cutting off spectator features like X-ray when necessary, though such measures raise concerns about the overall viewing experience.

Discussions are also emerging around standardized penalties for players who deliberately exploit crowd reactions, though the industry lacks a unified regulatory framework. With more international tournaments approaching, each boasting massive prize pools and global audiences, pressure is mounting to strike a balance between maintaining fairness and preserving the electric atmosphere that makes live esports so compelling.

IEM Chengdu is set to feature crowds during the group stage as well. Photo via ESL

Ironically, despite the controversy, FURIA pushed through the distraction, taking both the semifinal and eventually the championship. Their victory reinforced that disciplined execution can still prevail, even when external factors threaten to tip the scales. The incident, however, has left the esports community with pressing questions about how to safeguard integrity while keeping the live spectacle alive.

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September 28, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Battlefield 6 players on PS5 and Xbox can block PC users from crossplay, as studio takes “cheating extremely seriously

by admin September 17, 2025

Battlefield 6 will include console-only crossplay, meaning Xbox and PlayStation players can avoid those pesky cheating PC players.

Senior console combat designer Matthew Nickerson detailed to IGN the online shooter’s crossplay options, activated with a simple on/off toggle. Turned on, console players will be prioritised before PC players fill a lobby. Turned off, and only console players will be included across both PlayStation and Xbox. The option is turned on by default.

“We’re very confident but also very keen to what crossplay means for Battlefield 6,” said Nickerson. “We’ve gone the extra mile and put in a lot of effort in terms of balancing the inputs, understanding where the inputs lie [not just] in terms of relationship to general play styles but general performance of what they’re good at and maybe what they lack.”

Battlefield 6 Official Reveal TrailerWatch on YouTube

Cheating is a major issue across online shooters, with PC players being the most likely to cheat. That’s why console players often prefer to exclude them, if possible.

Technical director Christian Buhl said Battlefield Studios is “taking cheating extremely seriously”.

“Obviously, cheating is much more prevalent on PC than on console, but we are taking a lot of effort, putting a lot of work into prioritising fighting against cheaters,” he said. “We’ve turned on secure boot. We’ve got Javelin, our new anti-cheat system, which is required in order to play.

“So, we’re doing a lot on the PC side to clamp down on cheating as much as possible. We have a whole team within Battlefield dedicated to anti-cheat, which includes engineers, analysts who are reviewing things and banning players, and figuring out what the latest cheats are. We have another whole dedicated team at EA to anti-cheat that we work closely with. That’s what I can say. Now, we can never win against cheaters, right? Cheaters will always be there. It’s a never-ending cat-and-mouse game. I can’t promise that there will be zero cheaters if you’re playing against PC players. That’s just simply not possible, but I can say that we are being extremely aggressive. We see this as critical to the success of – to the health of – the game.”

Console players also use aim assist to balance play with PC players using mouse and keyboard for increased accuracy. But aim assist has been “completely redone” from Battlefield 2042, said Nickerson.

“We’ve added aim assist for what we call our ‘combat triangle’ now – and that’s infantry versus infantry, infantry versus vehicles, and vehicles versus vehicles – to give that cohesive experience if you are on controller, compared to, maybe, something that’s a little bit easier on keyboard and mouse. So [we’re] very dedicated to crossplay, and we’re trying to nail it across multiple vectors when it comes to crossplay. It’s just such an important aspect for us and for Battlefield 6.”

It’s all part of the studio’s console-first approach. It’s this that’s led to strong optimisation across consoles.

Buhl explained to Kotaku the team struggled to get the game running on Xbox Series S due to its lack of memory, with levels crashing. As a result, the team has optimised memory usage in the game which has in turn made the “whole game better and more stable”.

Battlefield 6 will release on 10th October across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Just don’t expect a Switch 2 release any time soon.

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September 17, 2025 0 comments

Valkyrae and Cinna crying on stream while talking to camera

Esports

Ned Fulmer & wife Ariel start podcast 3 years after cheating scandal shattered Try Guys

by admin September 17, 2025

Former Try Guys member Ned Fulmer is back in the spotlight three years after his cheating scandal went viral on social media and imploded the YouTube group.

Ned Fulmer was one of the original members of the Try Guys, a group of four YouTubers who shared their adventures trying new things like ‘baking a pie without a recipe’ or eating 400 dumplings for a mukbang.

Fulmer was constantly talking about his marriage to his wife, Ariel, earning him the title of ‘wife guy’ — but this very designation would come back to haunt him when he was exposed for cheating with a company employee in September 2022.

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As a result, Fulmer was ousted from the group, the remaining members of which posted a YouTube video denouncing his behavior and distancing themselves from him.

Fulmer spoke out on the situation in a statement on social media, where he apologized to Ariel and said “the only thing that matters right now is my marriage and my children, and that’s where I’m going to focus my attention.”

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Just a week shy of exactly three years after the cheating bombshell, Fulmer has officially returned to the internet, opening up about his silence in an interview with People on September 16, 2025.

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Ned Fulmer starts new podcast with wife Ariel after Try Guys fallout

In the interview, Fulmer revealed that he and Ariel are still together, although he admitted that things were rocky in the direct aftermath of his affair being brought to the limelight.

“For a long time, I wanted nothing to do with social media or the internet,” he told the outlet, explaining his absence. “I didn’t think it was particularly beneficial to my mental health.”

He and Ariel attended couples counseling to work through his infidelity, saying there were “many points” where he feared their relationship wouldn’t survive the scandal. However, he says their marriage is now “certainly stronger than it was before.”

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“We have a much clearer sense of boundaries — understanding and respecting each other’s boundaries — as well as integrity and being direct with each other, even when it might be unpleasant,” he explained.

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With his role in the Try Guys officially out of the question, Fulmer is taking what he’s learned from his transgression and turning it into a new podcast that he’s titled ‘Rock Bottom.’

The theme of the show is to interview people at the lowest point of their lives, whether that be working through an addiction, struggling with life after prison, and even being on the receiving end of the internet’s ire.

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“It’s made me a lot more interested in other people’s challenging times,” he told People. “When someone does something that they’re really ashamed about or that is deeply traumatizing, life goes on. So, what happens next?”

Rock Bottom debuts on Wednesday, September 17, with Ariel co-hosting. This will be Fulmer’s official return to making content since his hiatus from the internet in 2022.

Fulmer’s departure from the Try Guys rocked the internet and ended up costing the group “millions” in lost sponsorships. Eventually, Eugene Lee Yang also exited the org to pursue other projects. Currently, the Try Guys is comprised of Keith Habersberger and Zach Kornfeld, who have maintained the channel as a duo in the years since then.

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September 17, 2025 0 comments