Ubisoft looking to punish The Division players for exploiting sloppy code

When players find a way to exploit a game without the use of outside software or hardware, and then take advantage of that exploit, whose fault is that? Yours, according to Ubisoft.

The Division‘s first free content update, Incursions, went live recently, and players found an exploit pretty quickly that allowed them to replay a mission that was meant only to be played once per week over and over, getting high level loot drops much more often than intended. There’s a fix for the exploit on the way, but in the meantime the game’s community manager has stepped forward to say that players using the exploit are violating the game’s Code of Conduct and that Ubisoft is “looking into what can be done in terms of punishment” for those who have taken advantage of the exploit.

There’s been outcry in response. Because the exploit happened entirely within the bounds of the game – meaning it was Ubisoft’s code, not an outside hack or something like that – fans feel the onus is on Ubisoft for this one. Some have suggested that initial exploitation of this glitch was from bad actors, and dedicated players felt the need to exploit it just to keep up with the shift and continue enjoying the game. Ubisoft, they say, shouldn’t punish those dedicated (but temporarily outclassed) players.

Punishing players for accessing code is a potentially slippery slope, too, as a developer could potentially penalize players for simply playing a game in a way they hadn’t intended if they view it as an exploit. I don’t think that’s terribly likely, but punishing players for what was essentially Ubisoft’s oversight seems like a poor way to treat the playerbase. If anything, sending out free items as an apology would make more sense.

Ubisoft hasn’t said for sure if, how, or when the hammer would come down, but if you’ve been using the exploit, be aware that this might be coming.