A number of users are seeing themselves temporarily without access to the internet with their Switch console after receiving The Pokemon Company’s ban hammer following their participation in raid dens in Pokemon Sword and Shield that are essentially illicit by nature.
The Pokemon Company has yet to make an official statement on the matter. Despite having not yet spoken a word, the banning process seems to be kicking in.
Banning Report
The banning came to awareness when Nintendosoup briefly covered the topic a few days ago as corroborated by Twitter users.
Just a PSA: Unless there's a group of people trolling us, both host and participants of hacked raids are being banned (albeit for different durations).
Please do not join a hacked raid if you ever do come across one!
Credits to @Atrius97 for compiling these images. pic.twitter.com/25OxZe9gjm
— theSLAYER (@PP_theSLAYER) June 24, 2020
As per the report, players who are subject to the banning get the sanction that lasts for two months. However, this is only for users who were participants in the illicit raid, regardless of the awareness of the event.
Hosts, the instigators of the illegal activity, are subject to a more serious repercussion, seeing themselves liable to getting “perma-banned.” Typically, a decision that can be neither reversed nor appealed from.
Perma-ban is an internet language and a portmanteau for the words “permanent” and “ban,” indicating an indefinite expulsion from the community.
The Nature of the Ban
Players who receive the sanction can still able to use their console as normal. But with the exception of becoming exclusively offline. This is born from the fact that the banning process is cutting off the transgressors from the online community, whether temporarily or permanently.
Individuals who have been the target of the ban would get a notification stating: “Online service for this software is currently restricted.”
A Precedent Case
This isn’t the first time that The Pokemon Company is employing the ban hammer to those who deserve it, however. Just early this year, the company launch a ban wave to those who were unscrupulous about using hacked Pokemon.
Not all who were on in the act were necessarily perpetrators within Pokemon Sword and Shield. Some were merely recipients through trades. Regardless of this fact, anyone who has such Pokemon in their game was still the target of the ban.
The Pokemon Company’s fight against illegal modding, however, does come with its own merits. With the developer directly stepping in, it is fostering an environment that is fair for everybody. This is especially true for players who take the game seriously.
There is, after all, a major difference between a cheater who gets an unfair advantage and an honest player who plays normally.
Image used courtesy of Azure/YouTube Screenshot