Foreword from the CEO “I hate cheating in games. So do all of my friends and everyone that I know. We’re all aware of the impact of cheating on a personal scale; It ruins the experience, and in my circle of relatively hardcore gamers, we’ve all quit games or stopped spending due to the effects of cheating. There’s been a lot of speculation that cheating has become a crisis, and we wanted to understand if that’s true. We wanted to find out how a wide range of gamers feel across different countries, gender, and age. Eager to understand the reality, this study was commissioned to unpack the cheating crisis. Built on a survey of over 2,000 gamers, this whitepaper explores the real-world impact on gamers, revenue, and communities, and offers a clear path forward to rebuild trust and accountability, and most importantly, bring back what makes games fun. Playing without cheating, where you know everyone is playing by the rules, and nobody has an unfair advantage.” Andrew Wailes, Founder and CEO, PlaySafe ID

Key Findings The survey commissioned for this report 80% uncovered powerful insights about the state of cheating in gaming. Here are the key takeaways you need to know: of gamers have encountered cheating in online games ■ Cheating is now a crisis, with 80% of gamers encountering it in online games. Only 20% of gamers say they 73% never come across cheaters ■ Player retention is at risk. 55% of gamers would A significant 42% of gamers have be happy to verify considered quitting a game entirely of gamers have either reduced themselves in order because of cheaters or stopped spending on in-game to play without ■ The gaming community is highly purchases because of cheating cheaters receptive to identity verification as 42% a solution. 73% would be happy to verify themselves in order to play without cheaters of gamers have considered ■ Cheating has a direct financial quitting a game entirely impact on the games industry, as because of cheaters 55% of gamers have either reduced 83% or stopped spending on in-game purchases because of it ■ Gamers are ready for a solution. of gamers would A massive 83% would be more be more likely likely to play a game that is credibly to play a game promoted as being cheat-free 79% that is credibly promoted as being cheat-free ■ The vast majority of gamers, of gamers agree being cheat-free 79%, agree that penalties for that penalties for cheating should apply across cheating should multiple games, suggesting a desire apply across for industry-wide accountability multiple games apply across

y promoted as being cheat-free ■ The vast majority of gamers, of gamers agree being cheat-free 79%, agree that penalties for that penalties for cheating should apply across cheating should multiple games, suggesting a desire apply across for industry-wide accountability multiple games apply across Audience 2,013 Most likely to play 82% Chart first person shooters, gamers in the sports games and US and UK casual games play games sports games and multiple gamers in the casual games times a US and UK week

Introduction foundation of creating positive gaming experiences In the world of online gaming, fair play is the foundation of creating positive gaming experiences and building a thriving community. But a crisis is eroding that trust, threatening player enjoyment and the business models that developers and publishers rely on to both grow and serve customers. Cheating has become a serious business issue, impacting revenue streams, damaging brand reputation, and driving players away. The aforementioned survey pooled insights from The aforementioned survey pooled insights from over 2,000 gamers across the UK and the USA, and was conducted by independent research agency Atomik Research on behalf of PlaySafe ID. It has revealed the massive scale of the cheating problem, painting a clear but disheartening picture: cheating is no longer a fringe issue, but a major cross genre challenge that the industry can't afford to ignore.

The Scale of the Problem It's surprising to many outside of gaming How often do you encounter just how widespread cheating has become. cheating in online games? Our research found that 80% of gamers have encountered cheating in online games. For the gaming community, cheating is a regular occurrence, with 52% saying they Never encounter it at least a few times a month, if not more often. The problem is so common Rarely that only 20% of players claim to have never (once every few months) seen it. This shows that for many, cheating Occasionally has become an unfortunate part of their (a few times a month) online gaming routine. Frequently Cheating's increasing ease of implementation (weekly) and visibility is also a big part of the issue. The survey found that 54% of gamers come Almost every session across content on how to cheat on YouTube, followed by TikTok with 38%, and specific Every session gaming websites with 34%. With such easy access to tools and methods, developers are constantly battling to stay one step ahead. 0% 30% Where do you typically see content related to cheating in videogames? 60% 0% Twitch Tiktok Youtube Reddit Facebook Instagram Twitter/X Google Gaming Discord Other Websites

The Erosion of Player Trust and Satisfaction Cheating has a direct and significant impact How close have you come to quitting on how players feel about a game. The data playing a game because of cheaters? reveals that 42% of gamers have considered quitting a game because of cheaters. This number is even higher in the UK, where 45% I’ve never considered of gamers have thought about leaving a title quitting a game for the same reason. It is understandable too. because of cheaters Cheats undermine the very point of playing a I’ve considered competitive game. This highlights a serious quitting a game retention problem that's not about any game because of cheaters itself, but about the failure to maintain a fair I’ve quit a game and secure environment. because of cheaters The temptation to cheat is also worryingly I’ve quit multiple games high, with 62% of gamers admitting to having because of cheaters felt tempted to cheat at least occasionally, and 25% feeling the temptation frequently or Has quit 1 or more always. This suggests a difficult cycle where games or has considered a bad experience can lead to a breakdown of quitting due to cheaters integrity, creating a culture of ‘if you can't beat them, join them.’ 0% 40% 80% Have you ever felt tempted How much do you trust game developers to to cheat in a video game? effectively deal with cheating in multiplayer games? 80% 100% 40% 50% 0% 0% Tempted Always Frequently Rarely Never Yes Fully Mostly A Little Not at all