A few days ago ex-OpTic India member, Nikhil “Forsaken” Kumawat, was caught using cheats at the eXTREMESLAND 2018 Asia Finals. Now, ESL India confirms that forsaken was also hacking at ESL India Premiership 2018.
On immediate inspection, we have discovered the same cheat program that was used by Forsaken in Shanghai on the SSD he used at the ESL India Premiership Fall Finale and have shared this evidence with the Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC). (2/3)
— ESL India (@ESL_India) October 22, 2018
Last Friday, OpTic India would be playing at eXTREMELAND 2018, when admins would find hacks on Kumawat’s PC. The following day, ESL would launch an investigation against Forsaken and his performance at the ESL India Premiership. The company would end up inspecting the SSD Forsaken had in Shanghai, where they would find the same cheating program. This meant that Kumawat was cheating at the Premiership, all the way to the Finals.
Additionally, ESL will also be investigating all twenty players at the ESL India Premiership Finale for any possible cheats. This will include the rest of OpTic India’s roster, as well as Brutality and Slaughter Rage Army. Of course, this does not mean that more players were cheating, but ESL must confirm some sort of competitive integrity amongst the rest of the competition. ESL also states that they will be sharing this evidence with the Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC).
Possible Punishments?
ESL states that Forsaken’s actions were a level four offense according to the ESIC Code of Conduct. What is a level four offense? It is the highest form of offense for the ESIC, where a player would cheat in order to win. The sanctions for a level four offense vary whether or not it is your first, second or third offense. For first timers, you will get “a fine of up to 100% of Match and/or Event Prize money and/or between 4 and 8 Suspension Points and/or a fixed term of suspension from the Game and/or Event/s of up to 24 months”.
However, this is where ESL and the ESIC must check to see if this was Forsaken’s second or third offense. As Forsaken’s second offense, he will get “the imposition of a suspension from the Game and/or Event/s and/or any Game/s and/or and Event/s and/or all Esports of between one (1) year and a lifetime”. Many players are stating that pros knew Forsaken was a cheater, which would lead people to believe he has been hacking this whole time. Hansel “BnTeT” Ferdinand, who people hail as one of the best players in Asia, states that Forsaken had been cheating since his days on eSports platform, SoStronk.
lol forsaken from optic india finally caught cheat on LAN, most of us already knkw that he is cheating from sostronk next, gg so embarrassing
— Hansel Ferdinand (@BnTeTCSGO) October 19, 2018
If this was Forsaken’s third offense, the punishment is more severe: a possible lifetime ban from all esports.
A Ripple Effect
Forsaken’s actions are not only affecting his own career, but it will have a ripple effect across the Indian esports scene. As of now, he has cost all of his teammates’ careers, as well as his coach. None of them may find another opportunity like this, with a huge esports organization like OpTic. Also, it is easy to say that those players may not even find any teams to play for. It is very hard to believe that none of his teammates and coaches knew about his cheating ways. Even if they didn’t, many teams may not take a chance with them. Their reputation has been tarnished as a result, and their esports career may have come to an end. You can only hope to find the truth in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts on Forsaken cheating at multiple LAN events? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more CS:GO news, check us out here!
Trending
