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Jury backs Bungie in lawsuit against cheat maker Aimjunkies

Bungie and Aimjunkies have been engaged in litigation for years.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

May 28, 2024

1 Min Read
Key artwork for Destiny 2 The Final Shape
Image via Bungie

Bungie has won its lawsuit against Destiny 2 cheat maker Aimjunkies.

As noted by Game File reporter Stephen Totilo, a jury awarded the PlayStation-owned studio $63,210 in damages and rejected a counterclaim from Aimjunkies that alleged Bungie illegally accessed one of its computers.

David Schaefer, founder of Aimjunkies parent company Phoenix Digital, said the company intends to fight the ruling and will move to dismiss the verdict before pursuing an appeal.

Bungie, however, claims the result is a win for both the studio and its players. "We are grateful for the diligence, professionalism, and care exercised by the Judge, his staff, and the Jury," said Bungie lawyer James Barker. "We're committed to our players and will continue to protect them against cheats, including taking this and future cases all the way to trial."

Aimjunkies was first sued by Bungie in 2021. As highlighted by The Verge, it was alleged the company hacked Destiny 2 to access code that could be used to create cheats. Some of the complaints from that suit eventually went to arbitration and Bungie was awarded $4.4 million in damages and fees.

The judge overseeing the case found Aimjunkies had violated DMCA provisions by reverse engineering Destiny 2 to develop and subsequently sell cheats. Bungie also successfully argued that Aimjunkies had breached the terms of the Limited Software License Agreement signed by players before violating the DMCA.

Aimjunkies is currently in the process of appealing that decision. 

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About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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