3 coaches at PGL Major provisionally suspended by ESIC, amongst 47 others

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) have released a document explaining the methodology they have used to determine the severity and bans for the upcoming sanctions on 50 coaches who abused one of two further exploits in the game to gain information advantages as well as 47 further coaches who abused the initially discovered bug. The two new exploits are a free-roam "noclip" mode as well as third-person view.

Although ESIC have not named any persons or given any specific dates for future releases or sanctions, it makes clear that 3 coaches at the upcoming Major in Antwerp have been "provisionally" suspended with immediate effect. The rationale behind this is that their abuse of the bug(s) are of "potentially serious nature" and hence cannot be allowed to continue competing while their charges are "resolved".

A further 47 coaches not at the Major have also been "provisionally" suspended with immediate effect pending the resolution of their charges as well. However, it is not made clear whether the 3 Major-attending teams' coaches were all banned for the same variant, i.e., free-roam or static view, or if they are banned for different variants (of the two serious variants).

Furthermore, another 47 coaches experienced a third-person bug, which is not classed as an exploit as it was impossible to trigger manually. One of these coaches is set to attend the Major but has not been suspended as of yet due to the less serious nature of their case. The bug in question, as noted by ESIC, only lasts one round at most and may be ended early if a coach disconnects and reconnects to the server.

A new mechanism for this bug has been created by ESIC where each full round of this bug experienced by a coach will land them a 30 day suspension, cumulatively. Coaches which experienced the bug for less than one round, for example by disconnecting, will be reviewed on a "a case-by-case basis".

ESIC has noted that coaches which exploited or experienced the static-view bug will be sanctioned based on the existing matrix which was devised by them in the initial coach bans in September 2020. However, the free-roam bug has been determined to be of higher severity and hence will not use the existing matrix or any other matrix. It has been determined that the 3 coaches being sanctioned for the free-roam bug will be sanctioned under "2.4.4 and 2.4.5 of the Code of Conduct (Cheating Offenses)." These sanctions carry a maximum length of up-to 24 months, notes ESIC.