PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, while extremely popular, also has a rampant infestation of cheaters. It was reported last month that over 1.5 million cheaters had been banned from the record-breaking battle royale game, though unfortunately that number is just a drop in the virtual bucket. Of course, the issue isn’t completely one-sided. For every cheat used within PUBG, someone also had to have created said cheat, and likely profited from it. To that end, Chinese publisher Tencent has chosen to go after the PUBG cheat makers in order to help stem the tide of cheating within the game.

In order to crackdown on PUBG cheat makers, Tencent has enlisted the aid of Chinese police in order to uncover underground rings that create and sell cheat software, according to Bloomberg Technology. The teamup has thus far led to the uncovering of 30 different cases of illegal activity, and subsequently the arrest of 120 people suspected of creating cheats for PUBG. With those having previously been convicted serving jail time, this should absolutely serve as a message to the cheat making community at large.

Tencent and PUBG developer Bluehole still have their work cut out for them in order to keep the game’s rate of expansion from stalling out. “PUBG is going through a puberty of sorts and cheaters threaten to stunt its grown,” said Kim Hak-Joon, a gaming stocks analyzer for Kiwoom Securities Co. “Cheaters mostly drive away new users, and without retaining new users, PUBG won’t be able to consolidate its early success and become a long-lasting hit.”

In order to make a dent in the cheat maker community, Tencent will have to commit to continuing its work with Chinese police to deter would-be cheat makers from continuing on with their illegal activities. China has a whole tends to frown upon cheating a bit less than elsewhere, though, due mostly to how competitive the country is in regards to e-sports. “There are more cheaters than any normal game because of the huge popularity,” said Daniel Ahmad, a research analyst for Niko Partners. “China as a gaming country is very competitive. There’s a reason why e-sports and pay-to-win is so big there.”

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is now available for PC, and as an Xbox Game Preview title for the Xbox One. So, thoughts on the ongoing struggle with both cheaters and cheat makers within the PUBG community? Have you personally come across any cheaters within the popular battle royale game? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!