Ubisoft sues Rainbow Six Siege cheat maker who appeared on the BBC

Ubisoft has filed a lawsuit against the operators of a company called MizuSoft, which it claims has earned thousands of dollars monthly through the sale of Rainbow Six Siege cheat software. MizuSoft promised to help Siege cheaters get away with it by working in subtle ways, including boosting weapon damage, expanding the field of vision, revealing hidden enemies, and providing information on things like enemy location and health.

The cheat makers were charging serious bucks for their services, to the tune of €12 ($13) per day, €30 ($33) per week, or €70 ($77) per month. Despite that ridiculous price, "the Cheating Software has been downloaded and used by R6S players thousands of times," according to the lawsuit, available in full from Polygon. "Ubisoft is also informed and believes that Defendants have made hundreds of thousands of dollars from their distribution of, and sale of licenses to, the Cheating Software."

The suit accuses the defendants of trafficking in circumvention devices, interference with contractual relations, and unfair competition. It also makes a point of noting that the defendants were well aware that what they were doing is against the law, stating that one of them—a minor, and so only listed by the initials JVL—"recently bragged to the media that his Cheating Software ruins R6S for other players" and "readily admitted that if he were to be sued by Ubisoft he would have a 'tough time' defending his conduct."

That's apparently a reference to this BBC report on videogame cheats, which shows off the Rainbow Six Siege cheat in action. The report says the maker of the cheat pulls in nearly £1500 ($1926) per week, and was planning on expanding into other games. "As long as the customers keep coming and the games makers do nothing, his business and many others will keep on growing," the interviewer says at the end of the video.

Ubisoft is seeking a permanent shutdown of the cheat software and all related websites, restitution of "unlawful proceeds," statutory and punitive damages, legal fees, and whatever else the courts feel like piling on. It can already claim a win on one of those counts: the MizuSoft website now displays a single, forlorn line of text saying, "MizuSoft will be ceasing operations as of October 24, 2019."

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.