Ubisoft has revealed that its MouseTrap anti-cheat system has proven to be even more effective than expected, resulting in a marked reduction in the number of keyboard and mouse users on the console versions ofRainbow Six Siege.Like most multiplayer games,Rainbow Six Siegehas had a pervasive and ongoing issue with cheaters since it launched in 2015. Ubisoft has tried a variety of tactics to quell the problem, even going so far as tosueRainbow Six Siegecheat makers, to little avail.
For most of its years on the market,Rainbow Six Siegeused BattlEye as its anti-cheat system, which had a number of flaws. Some were considered so egregious by the community, in fact, that topRainbow Six Siegecontent creators boycotted the gamein protest of BattlEye’s use. One of the major issues was that the anti-cheat service would penalize all players in a match if a cheater was discovered among them, even if the culprit was losing.
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In early 2023,Ubisoft introduced its MouseTrap cheat detection system, which focused primarily on players using a mouse and keyboard to gain the upper hand while playingRainbow Six Siegeon console. It targeted cheaters who use spoofers, many of which also provide other unfair advantages like aim assist and auto-reload. In a recent blog post, Ubisoft revealed that MouseTrap has effectively reduced the number ofRainbow Six Siegemouse-and-keyboard users on console by 78%, which far surpasses the 30 to 50% the company expected. In ranked matches, the number of spoofers has gone down by 73%.
MouseTrap works by gradually increasing the amount of input lag for anybody detected to be using a spoofer, with the intention to eventually make the lag negate any benefits gained from using the cheat in the first place. Ubisoft opted for this method rather thanbanning cheatersoutright in order to give the wrongdoers the opportunity to change their behavior and play correctly, and it seems to have worked. The data shows that, after being penalized by MouseTrap just once, 43% of players have reverted to using a controller and have not been flagged as cheaters again.
It’s a fairly magnanimous choice on the part of Ubisoft. As for cheat makers, on the other hand, the company seems to be taking another route entirely. A mysterious PC-only anti-cheat method simply dubbed “QB” went into effect in November 2022, though Ubisoft has revealed very little about how it works.
But a recent PC Gamer report implies that one of QB’s tactics is to changeRainbow Six Siege’s executable multiple times a day, causing compatibility errors with PC cheat programs and forcing the cheat makers to constantly update their code. Whatever its specific functions, Ubisoft has stated that QB has aided in the ban of over 10,000 cheaters since launch. The company seems to be very dedicated to stomping out bad actors, taking a multi-pronged approach to keep them out of the game.
Rainbow Six Siegeis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
