In the competitive world of online gaming, few issues are as pernicious and damaging as cheating. For years, developers Bungie and Riot Games have battled against those who seek to undermine the integrity of their flagship titles, Destiny 2 and Valorant. The problem has escalated dramatically, creating environments where players who choose to compete fairly find themselves facing insurmountable odds, often leading to frustration, player attrition, and reputational harm for the games. This persistent threat has now spurred an unprecedented legal alliance. In early 2026, Bungie and Riot Games have jointly filed a lawsuit against Cameron Santos and his company, GatorCheats, identified as one of the largest distributors of cheating software for their games. This landmark action seeks not only financial restitution but a complete and permanent shutdown of the cheat distribution operation.

The lawsuit, filed in a United States district court, outlines a multi-pronged attack on GatorCheats. Central to the plaintiffs' demands is the recovery of all profits generated by the illicit software, which Bungie and Riot estimate to be in the range of tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This figure represents direct financial damage, but the suit also highlights the immense, ongoing investment both companies must pour into anti-cheat technologies—resources diverted specifically to combat entities like GatorCheats. Beyond monetary compensation, the developers are seeking a permanent injunction that would legally bar Santos and his company from any further distribution, development, or support of cheating software for their games. Crucially, the lawsuit requests the court to order the immediate disabling of all existing GatorCheats software across every platform.

The ramifications of a successful lawsuit would be profound. For the player communities of Destiny 2 and Valorant, a decisive legal victory would represent a major blow against the cheat economy. While it would not eradicate cheating entirely, disabling a major supplier like GatorCheats would significantly raise the barrier to entry and likely make encountering cheaters in Destiny 2's Crucible or Valorant's ranked matches a far rarer occurrence. The psychological impact, restoring a sense of fair play and developer commitment, would be equally valuable. This action follows a recent trend of game developers taking a harder legal stance; for instance, Niantic's successful litigation against the cheat provider Global++ for Pokémon GO sets a relevant precedent, suggesting Bungie and Riot have a strong case.

The lawsuit's potential impact extends far beyond the two plaintiffs. The court documents note that GatorCheats' operations also target other major franchises, including the Call of Duty series published by Activision. Cheating in Call of Duty titles has been a persistent and highly visible issue, placing Activision in a similar defensive position. A favorable ruling for Bungie and Riot would establish a powerful legal precedent that could be leveraged by Activision and other publishers to pursue their own actions against GatorCheats and similar entities. Consequently, a single lawsuit could trigger a domino effect, leading to a noticeable decrease in cheating across multiple top-tier shooter franchises.

This legal battle underscores the high-stakes, continuous arms race between game developers and cheat creators. Companies like Bungie and Riot deploy sophisticated kernel-level anti-cheat systems (like Riot's Vanguard), which operate with deep system access to detect unauthorized software. In response, cheat distributors often sell subscriptions for "undetected" cheats that are frequently updated to bypass these protections, creating a lucrative, if illicit, business model. The lawsuit against GatorCheats is a direct attempt to attack the financial and operational backbone of this model, aiming to make it legally and practically untenable.

For the gaming industry at large, this joint lawsuit signals a new phase of collective action. Key points from the legal challenge include:

• Financial Recoupment: Reclaiming all profits from cheat sales.

• Operational Shutdown: A permanent ban on all related activities.

• Precedent Setting: Creating a legal framework for future actions against cheat distributors.

• Community Trust: Demonstrating a tangible commitment to preserving game integrity.

The platforms affected are extensive. While Valorant is exclusively available on PC, Destiny 2 enjoys a multi-platform presence on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and cloud services. A cheat provider that supports even a subset of these platforms can cause widespread damage, making a unified legal response all the more critical. As of 2026, the industry's patience has worn thin, and the message from developers is clear: protecting the player experience is paramount, and they are willing to pursue all available avenues, including the courts, to defend it. The outcome of this case will be closely watched, potentially shaping the anti-cheat landscape for years to come.