Blizzard is suing the creator of an Overwatch cheat program

Blizzard is suing the creator of an Overwatch cheat program which allows players to see where enemy players are situated at all times, among other advantages. The company has filed a lawsuit against Bossland, the Germany-based creator of the software, at a court in California. 

According to a TorrentFreak report, Blizzard has accused Bossland of copyright infringement, unfair competition and violation of the DMCA's anti-circumvention provision.

"The Buddy Bots and the Overwatch Cheat (collectively, the “Bossland Hacks”) have caused, and are continuing to cause, massive and irreparable harm to Blizzard," reads Blizzard's complaint (pdf). "Blizzard’s business depends upon its games being enjoyable and fair for players of all skill levels, and Blizzard expends an enormous amount of time and money to ensure that this is the case.

"The Bossland Hacks destroy the integrity of Blizzard Games, thereby alienating and frustrating legitimate players and diverting revenue from Blizzard to Defendants."

While Blizzard pursues the creators of cheat software, it's also uncompromising when it comes to players who use it. Players are met with the ban hammer on their first offence, so it's probably not a great idea, just quietly.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.