210 Axies Banned for Match Fixing and Win Trading in Axie Infinity

Axie Infinity issues a long-term ban for players found guilty of match fixing and win trading. After careful investigation, these accounts have been banned from playing the game and the players are prohibited from participating in official Axie Infinity esports events. The banned Axie Infinity accounts shall also forfeit their Season 20 rewards. Sky Mavis, the developers behind the popular Non-Fungible Token (NFT) game title, previously issued a final warning to players who were intentionally losing or forcing the match to a draw to reduce MMR (Matchmaking Rating) loss. The developers also clarified that they take competitive integrity seriously and will penalize players who are proven guilty of cheating.

Axie Infinity heavily penalized players for cheating in Arena Mode

According to a report from ProgrammaticallyPull in the official Discord of Axie Infinity - Global, a total of seven accounts and 210 Axies from those accounts have been banned from the game.

“During a multi-day investigation, the Community Protection team reviewed 3000 replays from highly ranked players and unveiled irrefutable evidence that match-fixing had occurred.”

These players have violated section four of Axie Infinity’s terms of service which states that engaging in any practices that aim to manipulate the outcome of any match, whether arena or tournaments is strictly forbidden.

The accounts received a 999-day ban while its players received an indefinite ban from competing in any Axie Infinity esports event and all the Axie Infinity Shards (AXS) rewards received during Season 20 were removed as well.

According to Sky Mavis, the team takes these types of violations seriously and will continue to take actions on accounts which are guilty of violating the game’s competitive integrity.

“Our goal is to make the penalties of cheating outweigh the benefits.”

Players can view the list of penalized accounts and the penalties imposed in the link provided by the developers.

What is Win Trading in Axie Infinity?

Win trading refers to exploiting game mechanics to either intentionally lose to boost a player's Match Making Rating or secure win streaks for their own gain. In Axie Infinity, players who win trade usually either intentionally let their opponents win or force a draw to prevent MMR loss for both parties.

The industry standard in eSports is to issue indefinite bans for players cheating at the highest ranks. With Axie Infinity steadily growing as an NFT esports title, it’s reassuring to know that the developers are taking actions to prevent players from ruining the competitive integrity of the game title and ensuring the promotion of healthy competition amongst players.

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