The fallout from the forsaken cheating scandal continued as reports emerged that the player also cheated during the ESL India Premiership Fall Season Finale in Hyderabad.
UPDATE: forsaken banned from pro CSGO for cheating during ESL event
SpeilTimes.com reported that forsaken had used the same hack during the event and ESL India announced in a Facebook post that all 20 players who competed were under investigation.
ESL India Premiership Fall Season Finale was won by OpTic India, with Team Brutality, Slaughter Rage Army and 2ez Gaming also taking part in the event on October 13th and 14th 2018.
How the forsaken cheating scandal unfolded
Optic Gaming have released their CSGO roster after one player - forsaken - was caught cheating during the eXTREMESLAND 2018 Asia Finals.
The incident has sparked strong reaction throughout the CSGO scene and wider esports community. Here's what we know:
Who is forsaken?
Nikhil Kumawat - AKA - forsaken is a 23-year-old Indian CSGO player who has been with OpTic India since August 2018.
So, what happened?
forsaken was playing for OpTic India in a best-of-three elimination match against Revolution at the eXTREMESLAND 2018 Asia Finals - a LAN event in Shanghai with a prize pool of $100,000.
OpTic India were one map ahead and play had reached round 19 of the second map when the match was paused by tournament administrators, who eventually announced OpTic India were disqualified because forsaken was using cheats.
How was forsaken cheating?
It appears forsaken had installed aim-lock hacks on his machine to help his in-game performance - making it easier for him to hit opponents. It is not clear how he was able to install the hacks on his tournament machine.
How was forsaken caught cheating?
According to CSGO2Asia, suspicious activity was highlighted by the tournament's anti-cheat platform and, when administrators attempted to check his machine, forsaken appeared to quickly delete the offending files.
However, a record of them having been installed was apparently discovered.
What action has been taken?
OpTic India were kicked out of the tournament, giving Revolution the match victory.
OpTic India said they had terminated forsakens contract and released the rest of the roster to "pursue new opportunities with other competitive options".
In a statement, OpTic India said: "We stand strongly against any form of cheating as it not only tarnishes the local roster but potentially harms competitive integrity in the region.
Previous form?
This is not the first time forsaken has been accused of cheating. In August 2017, a complaint was lodged against him when he was on duty for SemperX - another Indian org. Team Iyati claimed forsaken was the owner of a Valve Anti-Cheat banned Steam Account, an offence that carries a two-year ban. Forsaken later argued that he had never been the owner of the account and the ban, imposed by ESIC, was later reduced to six months.
What has been the reaction?
Despite the player and tournament being relatively low-profile, the incident has sent shockwaves throughout the CSGO community, with players, pundits and fans reacting angrily.
