A big part of the Apex Legends community is the leaderboard for the ranked mode. As players duke it out on the map, only the best of the best can make it to the top of the board. Heading deeper into season 18, a new name made waves in the community after taking the number one spot. However, what followed was a shocking turn of events that spiraled into the world of cheats and hacks.
A player who has previously been banned for cheating on three occasions was boasting about being #1. What happened next is a classic example of the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Respawn Entertainment bans top Apex Legends player on grounds of cheating
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Apex Legends is a tough game, and its ranked mode is even tougher. As a result, whenever a new player takes the number one spot on the leaderboards, there is a lot of buzz among players. However, when Facilitatur took that spot, his achievement only had a shroud of suspicion all over it.
The number 1 ranked Apex Predator player in the world was banned live on their stream mid match for cheating.
FacilitaturFPS then had his tweet boasting about being the #1 ranked in the world hit with with twitter’s community notes.
“Facilitatur actually couldn’t do it.” 💀 pic.twitter.com/XK5KocsesD
— ModernWarzone (@ModernWarzone) August 24, 2023
As it turns out, Facilitatur used the help of softwares that gave him unfair advantages. This was not the first occasion of cheating for the player. He received bans on three separate occasions in the past. It was one of the biggest reasons behind the suspicion on this occasion.
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Respawn Entertainment, the developers behind Apex Legends, quickly got involved. While they usually do not make any sort of public announcements in incidents such as these, this time they made a statement. They banned Facilitatur as he played a match. Subsequently, they made an announcement on X, formerly Twitter, about their strict stance on cheating in Apex Legends.
After thorough investigation and data review, our @PlayApex anti-cheat team issued a number of bans today.
Cheating will not be tolerated.
— Respawn (@Respawn) August 23, 2023
The mid-game ban was a big deal for the Apex Legends players. Respected members of the community, such as FURIA’s HisWattson, pointed out the fishy-looking gameplay on several occasions.
What does this mean for Facilitatur?
This is not the first time Facilitatur faced the ban hammer. On three separate occasions in the past, he faced bans for the usage of cheats. He came back last year after Respawn Entertainment lifted his ban, with the claim that he played with cheaters, and did not do so himself.
His previous bans came due to repeated use of cheat software as well as impeding other players. It drew the ire of big names in the community, who began suspecting Facilitatur’s legitimacy. They examined suspicious clips of him. Subsequently, he received bans not just one, but thrice.
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At the time of lifting his last ban, Respawn Entertainment promised to monitor and take action if it looked like Facilitatur was cheating again. It looks like they came through, as the ban hammer struck once again. It seems Respawn is out to make a statement on their stance on cheating, discouraging any players from doing so.
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