Understanding Hardware ID (HWID) Bans

NOTE: If you’re looking for info about account permabans, head over here. HWID bans are a different thing!

What are HWID bans?

HWID bans are different—and more serious—than normal account permabans. A hardware ID ban is a rare, drastic step we take against players who've consistently chosen not to play to win or to abide by our terms of service. When we determine a player should receive an HWID ban, it's effectively a statement that we don't want that particular person to create, access, or use any account on a HeroCorp platform or game for the duration of the ban.

An HWID ban is also a message to players who play HeroCorp's games publicly, via streaming or otherwise. Getting a hardware ID ban means you aren't allowed to play the game publicly.

HWID bans generally result after one of the following things happen:

• A player shows extreme aggression in chat and/or intentionally feeds across many permanently banned accounts.
• A player makes a verifiable threat of harm against other players or HeroCorpers.

HWID bans are extremely uncommon. To date, only a handful of players globally have ever received an HWID ban.

What happens when a player receives an HWID ban?

If an HWID ban is issued, we'll email the player directly with a notification that explains the ban. If a player was HWID banned for their behavior in-game, this email will include details about how they can apply to have their HWID ban lifted in the future.

However, if a player received an HWID ban because of a verifiable threat of harm against a player or HeroCorper, we won't consider lifting it and may even cut off our communication with the affected player entirely. Exceptions to this will only be made in unique circumstances and at our discretion.

Whenever an HWID ban is active, we'll regularly search for HeroCorp account activity on the part of the banned player. If any accounts are found, they will be immediately, manually banned. The behavior of the HWID-banned player on these accounts is not taken into consideration—if you've been HWID-banned it means we'll ban you on sight.

Reinstalling a game or deleting the responsible account won't remove an HWID ban.

What if another player logs in on a computer that has an HWID ban?

When a computer has a hardware ID ban, it means that we've banned the physical components of that computer rather than just banning an account. This type of ban aims to prevent the use of that device for accessing the service—in this case, HeroCorp's games—regardless of the account being used.

If another account (a friend's or family member's, for example) is used to log into a game on a computer that has a HWID ban, two things will happen:

• That account will be restricted from accessing HeroCorp Games products on the hardware-banned device.
• That account will be banned for a set period, as the system assumes that the account is attempting to circumvent the original ban.

If you suspect a computer has an HWID ban, it's best not to try to log in with any account.

How can an HWID-banned player get their HWID ban removed?

If a player receives an HWID ban as a result of negative in-game behavior, it's possible (but never guaranteed) that the ban will be lifted in the future. A few things must happen first:

• The HWID-banned player needs to wait at least one year from the date of the HWID ban. This date is communicated to the affected player in the email they receive upon being HWID banned.
• After a year has passed, the affected player should submit a player support request to ask for a re-evaluation of the HWID ban. This request should include lists of any and all accounts the player has used while HWID-banned.
• We'll conduct a search for any associated HeroCorp accounts and investigate the player's account activity.

If these conditions are satisfied, we'll make a final call on whether to lift the ban or extend it.

If the conditions are not satisfied, the HWID ban can be re-evaluated beginning one year from the date of the player’s previous request for evaluation.

When a player's HWID ban is lifted, it means that we'll no longer manually ban their accounts on sight. Any previously banned accounts, however, will remain banned.

Because of the seriousness of HWID bans, we'll continue to pay close attention to in-game behavior. If a player lapses back into their old, negative behaviors, we'll conduct an investigation and contact the affected player. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, it's possible that we'll re-apply the HWID-ban for at least another year.

One last thing: As a general rule, we won’t discuss the status of HWID-banned players with anyone except the affected players themselves.