Cheaters are in for a devastating wake-up call as Rockstar, developer of 'Grand Theft Auto Online,' sent a message to concerned players explaining they have been caught, and that their online funds acquired through hacks, mods or glitches have been removed. Some even had their in-game cash reduced to a laughable $0 in a move done by the gaming company.
According to Engadget, it would appear that modded accounts are the first ones to feel the burn, while those who cashed in lower sums of money via in-game glitches have yet to see if they will have the same fate. It is too early to feel safe, though, as the balance reset is going out in waves of penalties. There is no word yet if illegitimately acquired money through others' mods are going to be removed soon.
In an article published in ArsTechnica, the first cheating offense made by players are subject to all in-game progress reset. The second one, however, will mean a drastic ban from the game. This has been a noticeable change from the original "three-strikes policy" in line with recent updates to Rockstar's banning and suspension policy.
'GTA Online' has optional cash purchases within the game. Thus, cheating would mean revenue loss for the company. The developer explained in a post on the Rockstar Support site that the adjustments were made to "keep the gameplay environment fair" for all players.
Some people have been exploiting glitches and hacks for in-game cash after some time the game was launched in Oct. 2013. It has been a continuing dilemma that has been going on while expansions after another have been released. It just happened that today may be the start of a grim era for those cheaters and hackers alike as an aggressive move to eliminate modifications have ensued.
