Nexon Games revealed on August 13 that it has imposed disciplinary measures on players of Blue Archive’s international version who were found exploiting the game’s systems “to secure an unfair edge.” A staggering 122,046 accounts have been indefinitely suspended, with the developer stating they “will not condone unauthorized programs under any circumstances as they could potentially damage the game’s ecosystem and fellow players.”
The global servers of Blue Archive undergo routine anti-cheat operations, many concentrating on the game’s Total Assault and Grand Assault modes. However, whereas past ban waves resulted in approximately double-digit permanent account restrictions, this most recent enforcement represents the largest volume of bans in Blue Archive’s recent history.
Although the announcement did not elaborate on specifics, the wording of the notice led some to suspect that the bans are connected to Blue Archive’s Tactical Challenge (PvP) and Total Assault (Solo Raid) modes.
Tactical Challenge enables players to match their students (characters) against other players and NPCs in automated combat, whereas Total Assault sees players competing in bi-weekly events to determine who can overcome a Raid Boss the quickest. Success in either of these modes grants in-game rewards for enhancing your students and account, making them probable targets for cheaters.
Blue Archive is playable on PC (Steam), iOS, and Android.
Related: Blue Archive executive producer apologizes following backlash over changes to gacha and pity system