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EA files patent for anti-collusion system for online games

EA will look to punish players for colluding in online games.

Donovan Erskine

November 28, 2022 11:00 AM

EA

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Players on opposing teams colluding in online gaming is a tale as old as time. Whether it’s killing each other to finish challenges and earn rewards, or combining squads in a battle royale game to steamroll the competition, players have always found a way to work together when they’re not supposed to. Now, one of gaming’s biggest companies is taking affirmative action against the matter. EA has filed a patent for a new AI technology that will detect when players are colluding, and punish them for it.

EA recently filed a patent for its new AI technology, as originally reported by Exputer. In the filing, EA provides further detail on how the tech will work. The software will use game and player data to determine if you know an enemy player outside of the game. This includes checking your friends list, seeing if you’ve played with them in other EA titles, sent them messages previously, or even interacted with them on social media accounts that you’ve connected to EA.

If it’s determined that a player did indeed collude with another, they’ll face punishment. EA provides examples of potential punishments for colluding players in the filing. “Colluding teams or players may be removed from the match, disqualified from rewards, suspended, banned and so on.”

With games like Battlefield 2042 and Apex Legends under its jurisdiction, EA is likely quite familiar with the phenomenon of players colluding. The company provides several examples as what it sees as colluding, and how it harms other players.

With EA filing the patent for its new anti-collusion AI technology, we’ll have to wait to see how it ends up being implemented. There’s a solid chance that it never actually sees the light of day, or goes through some intense revisions before it does. Either way, stick with Shacknews for more on the latest business moves at EA.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_