The team behind PUBG Mobile esports has disqualified nearly 50 squads from the PUBG Mobile Club Open tournament (PMCO).
As detailed in a site update, teams from across the globe have been penalised, including squads in the US, France, Germany, the UK and the United Arab Emirates.
"In our continuous effort to detect and penalise cheating as well as other rule violations, we identified various accounts that violated our code of conduct and competitive integrity of our ongoing PMCO group stage," said event organisers.
"The violations took place leading up to, during or after our group stage and go against our strife, ensuring that our tournaments are a fair and balanced ecosystem for all participants and partners."
There are numerous reasons for the disqualifications, including the use of cheats such as bypassing anti-cheat software and the use of non-permitted devices such as tablets.
Other squads got the boot for having ineligible players on the team or for not meeting residential requirements. Meanwhile, one team was said to have been participating in multiple regions.
Play fair
As a result of the disqualifications, those that have been found guilty of breaching the code of conduct policies have been stripped of all points and will lose any prize money that they may have earned.
"Following the violations of our code of conduct and in accordance with our PUBG Mobile competitive policy, the teams listed below have been disqualified from the ongoing PMCO 2021 Spring Split and will be, with immediate effect, stripped of all points, placement, as well as prize money," the statement continued.
"Disqualified teams in the top 16 of the 2021 PMCO Spring Split will be replaced by the highest-ranked non-qualified team in the region's finals."
PMCO is one of the most recognisable events within the PUBG Mobile esports ecosystem, and the banning of 44 teams is sure to have turned a few heads.
Last year, between December 11th and December 17th, more than two million accounts were suspended for cheating in PUBG Mobile.
Recently, a new PUBG Mobile title was announced, PUBG: New State will hit the App Store and Google Play later this year and is to serve as a sequel to the battle royale hit.
