Wild Rift matchfixing and win trading: New penalties and banwaves

No matter which competitive game you think of, there are likely some incidents of matchfixing that come to mind. League of Legends: Wild Rift is no different. While developer Riot Games continues to push out great content for Wild Rift, evident by the 2.3b patch and the Sentinels of Light event, introducing two new champions Lucian and Senna, the developer also keeps a close eye on the integrity of competitive play. Now, Riot has updated its approach to matchfixing and win trading in Wild Rift, with some serious penalties for those who participate in these activities.

Wild Rift matchfixing & win trading penalties

In a recent post, Riot Games has outlined their updated approach to Wild Rift matchfixing and win trading.

This includes new penalties for those caught participating in these unfair activities and more frequent banwaves. 

First off, Riot Games explains how it defines these activities: "We define win trading as any method where players manipulate the matchmaking queues to end up on opposite teams, in order to fix the results of the match (win or loss). Matchfixing is defined as any method where players intentionally and consistently behave in ways that cause their team to lose or forfeit."

So what exactly are the penalties. Well, for starters, any account with evidence of either practice will be banned for seven (7) days as a warning. These accounts will also lose all current season rewards, and be reset to Iron IV rank.

For the repeat offenders, or "high severity" offenders, well, they will be permabanned. Speaking of bans, Riot Games will not provide notice for future banwaves, so they can really come at any time. The developer also explained that players should expect multiple banwaves per season.

Further, Riot has the intention that Wild Rift matchfixers and wintraders do not show up on any leaderboard, which is why they have implemented the following punishment changes.

• A leaderboard ban that lasts the entire season for first-time offenders. I
• Removing players from champion leaderboards if they’re identified as wintraders. 

Clearly, Riot is laying down the law when it comes to Wild Rift matchfixing and win trading. However, some players might be worried that a bad game, or games, might get them a false ban.

Riot is aware of this, and notes that it is always working to "minimize catching innocent players in banwaves." The developer is only targeting confirmed wintraders and "high-frequency matchfixers". Therefore, if you had a couple of uncharacteristically bad games, don't worry, you should be just fine.

• Read more: Wild Rift Lucian guide: Best runes, items, tips and more

Don't forget to check out our dedicated Wild Rift section for news, champion guides, patch notes and much more.