On Reddit, posts have begun to surface that appear to show bots that have infiltrated ranked play. Reportedly, this is an AI-driven bot that was originally created by RLGym as something of a training project – a machine learning effort – but it has now been twisted into something malicious. It’s not known who, when, or how, but someone has taken RLGym’s ‘Nexto’ bot and manipulated it, introducing it to ranked play and destroying the balance.
However, it isn’t all that easy to determine whether or not you’re playing against a Nexto bot. This was a concern explored by SunlessKhan on YouTube, who mocked up a Nexto build and quite literally pretend to be the bot in ranked play. It’s difficult to ascertain whether you’re playing against a bot or an incredibly talented player. There are apparently flaws in the bot’s programming, but ultimately, it’s a perfect performer that will win in almost every scenario.
Rocket League Has Been Clean Until Now
Image Credit: Psyonix
Rocket League has had a banner few years. Since going free to play and being acquired by Epic Games, the base game itself and the esports scene have blossomed. For instance, the RLCS World Championship that aired last August pulled in record-high viewership figures, boasting a $2 million prize pool and unprecedented levels of competition. It’s a massively popular game with millions of fans, and for the most part, it has remained ‘clean’ and cheater-free.
Historically, fans have massively appreciated this. In 2019, one user, now a Rocket League esports coach, took to Twitter to throw a little praise towards the game:
‘Let’s appreciate the fact that Rocket League is one of the only games in the world where there are no cheaters. I think we take that for granted sometimes because we are used to it but it’s actually amazing when you think about it.‘ – @CorruptedGabe on Twittter
Now, a few instances have surfaced online that seem to show players competing in ranked modes against what can only be explained as a bot. Their opponents, which are believed to be disguised Nexto bots, are impossibly good at the game, playing with a suspicious style that seems all too perfect. In a statement, representatives of RLGym, the original creators of the Nexto bot, explained:
‘RLGym is incredibly lucky to have found a super passionate and understanding community, and we won’t let these cheaters stop us. We’re taking steps to ensure our bots can’t be abused in the future and we can’t wait to show everyone the exciting projects we’ve been working on.’
In SunlessKhan’s video, evidence was procured that showed an account suspected of using the Nexto bot shooting up from Diamond to Grand Champion in ranked play in just one day. For now, all players can do is report suspected cheaters and leave them for Psyonix to handle while RLGym works on the bot in the back-end.