Bungie Scores A Major Victory Against AimJunkies In Destiny 2 Cheat Lawsuit

In what is believed to be the first time, a game company has won a lawsuit by jury against a cheat provider. Bungie sued Phoenix Digital (AimJunkies), alleging the company had infringed on a copyright related to its massively popular Destiny 2 game.

Stephen Totilo first reported about the jury’s decision on X/Twitter. Totilo remarked that the court handed down a five figure amount ($63,210) in damages. The amount was so little since the revenue for the cheats was the only thing being considered. He added the jury rejected AimJunkie’s counterclaim, which alleged that Bungie had broken into one of Phoenix Digital’s computers. Phoenix Digital has already remarked it will be appealing the decision.
Totilo also forwarded a statement from one of Bungie’s lawyers, which read, “We are grateful for the diligence, professionalism, and care exercised by the Judge, his staff, and the Jury. We’re committed to our players and will continue to protect them against cheats, including taking this and future cases all the way to trial.”

The world of video games can be a savage place to play and work. In July 2023, Bungie won a lawsuit against a player who repeatedly harassed, threatened, and doxxed one of its employees. Activision Blizzard has also taken action against cheat providers, with the company winning several cases resulting in multi-million-dollar reparation orders.

One reason more cheat providers are not dragged into court is because it is not illegal to cheat in a video game. The game company has to argue that reverse engineering a game occurred, therefore violating a developer’s copyright. While most cheat providers caught in this way simply give up and do not fight the allegation in court, others like AimJunkies decide to duke it out.

While Bungie may have won this court battle, one thing remains certain for gamers. Cheaters will still run rampant in video games.