Bethesda bans Fallout 76 players in possession of dev room items

In context: Stumbling upon a hidden developer room in a video game can be exciting and fun. However, taking things from the room, particularly in multiplayer games, is usually viewed as cheating. Packing your inventory with hard to find resources or the most powerful weapons in (or cut from) the game is unfair to others.

Earlier this month we reported that some Fallout 76 players had wormed their way into a developer room within the game world. It now appears that Bethesda has taken action on the matter.

It began last weekend when players who entered the room were auto-banned from the game. However, despite being suspended, players were still able to transfer items to other valid accounts. So unreleased cosmetics and weapons began popping up in the game.

Naturally, this led to a lot of players claiming their innocence. In response, Bethesda issued a statement.

We are looking into accounts where players have obtained items by accessing areas of the game that are not intended for the public. These areas are only accessible to PC players that are using 3rd party applications to get into these areas.

In an effort to ensure the integrity of these characters and accounts, these accounts are being temporarily disabled pending further investigation. Players that have accessed these areas and have had their accounts impacted are encouraged to contact our support team.

In addition to the suspensions, Bethesda moved the developer cell to a different location. Eurogamer reports several parts of the room are still accessible, but players are unable to interact with the items within them. Things like inventory crates appear, but cannot fully load.

Breeches seem to have been quelled now that Bethesda is doling out the hurt to those caught with contraband from the room. The announcement says the suspensions are temporary for now but does not indicate what needs to be done to be reinstated other than contacting support.

It is also unclear how it is going to identify players with the restricted items going forward. Presumably, moderators will just be on the lookout for those using the illegal gear. Bethesda may also have or create a software solution for scanning for the ill-gotten gains.