Destiny 2 developer Bungie wins $4M in cheat maker lawsuit

Destiny 2Bungie, the creator of the game, has received $4.3 million in settlements arising out of the 2021 lawsuit against AimJunkies. According to court records filed last week, the case was settled in arbitration. This information was first reported by TorrentFreak. The matter went to arbitration after lots of back and forth between the two parties — including a counterclaim that Bungie hacked one of AimJunkies’ developers.

Bungie has been pursuing cheaters in court ever since 2021. They claim copyright infringement. AimJunkies was one of those hack creators that the company pursued. Phoenix Digital Group’s AimJunkies makes cheats such as wall hacks and aimbots. Destiny 2, and many other well-known games. AimJunkies’ online marketplace is still up, but its Destiny 2Cheating is not allowed, apparently because of an arbitration injunction.

AimJunkies infringed on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, according to the case arbitrator. They used reverse engineering tools. Destiny 2To make their cheats. Bungie also banned an AimJunkies developer “several times,” according to the documents, who then circumvented protections to regain access to the game. Bungie was penalized $2,500, which is $255,000 for total violations. A $3.4 million fine was also imposed on the company for its sales of Bungie’s merchandise. Destiny 2Cheating: Bungie stated that AimJunkies sold approximately 1,000 cheats. The company was then fined.

Bungie also convinced the arbitrator of other claims against AimJunkies, like breach of contract — specifically the terms and conditions signed to play Destiny 2 — as well as interfering with Bungie’s user contracts with its players; violating the Consumer Protection Act; and destroying evidence. In total, the judgment includes more than $3.6million in damages and legal fees, which brings the award to $4.3million.

“We’re pleased to have been awarded what we believe to be the first instance of statutory damages for a DMCA violation,” Bungie general counsel Don McGowan said in a statement issued to Polygon. “We’ve made our position against cheaters and illegal cheat makers abundantly clear in publicly-accessible court filings and our in-game actions. We will continue to take action against bad actors who damage the player experience for the rest of the community.”

AimJunkies has not responded to Polygon’s request for comment.

It’s another big win in Bungie’s battle against cheat makers, who continue to do a lot of business around the world. In April 2021, Bungie and ValorantRiot Games, creator of hacks, teamed up with GatorCheats. GatorCheats agreed to $2 million damages in settlement.