'Destiny 2' PC news: Developers deny that bans were due to overlay apps

Screenshot from "Destiny 2's" TrailerYouTube/destinygame

It seems some PC gamers were actually destined to be banned, as Bungie, developer of "Destiny 2" explains that the mass bans they did for the game were not unwarranted.

Reddit user Cozmo, a community manager for Bungie's online first-person shooter (FPS), claimed on the forums that "[t]hird-party applications that aren't compatible with Destiny 2 may cause the game to not run but won't result in a ban." This was after a Reddit thread blew up with the complaints regarding the unjust bans they experience due to their using third-party applications such as Discord, OBS, and Xsplit, which are safe live-streaming and communication applications.

The primary Reddit thread lists the major and popular applications that may get players banned from the game. These include programs like OBS, Xsplit, Fraps, Mumble, Discord, MSI Afterburner, and EVGA Precision XOC, which often are used for measuring frame rate and capturing videos of gameplay sessions. Although these will not always get players banned, as there seems to be a random pattern on whoever gets banned, reports were also inconsistent. Some players also reported getting banned even if they had new computers, which essentially had no overlay software installed.

Back in Wednesday, Bungie even reported that as much as 400 bans occurred that day for the PC version. The studio then went on to announce in justification that "[b]ans were applied to players who were using tools that pose a threat to the shared ecosystem of the game." This meant that players using applications which were seen by the developers as hacking or cheating software got banned, and justifiably so.

Still, soon after the mass bans, Bungie claimed that it has identified a group of players that were banned in error and that those bans were not related to any use of third-party software. The studio did not specify how many players it will be unbanning, only that they have retracted some of the penalties.

Bungie will also be reviewing their ban parameters and process to ensure that players will have a fun and stress-free experience with the game. This means that they will be doing further reviews of their security measures. In the meantime, it is advised that PC players of "Destiny 2" steer clear of any third-party overlay applications until the problem has been sorted out.