A player of Pokémon Unite believes the game could be using player usernames to hide bots within game matches, after a puzzling encounter left them with little other explanation. The free-to-play MOBA released just a few weeks ago, but this isn't its first potential controversy, with the title previously coming under fire for the microtransactions in Pokémon Unite.
Pokémon Unite has made a splash on Nintendo Switch so far, impressing many players with the Pokémon-inspired take on the traditional multiplayer online battle arena genre. The game pits two teams of five against each other, battling as Pokémon and scoring goals to beat opponents in 10 minutes matches. Different pocket monsters have different roles within the game, such as All-Rounder, Attacker, and Defender, with players able to play strategically and select characters that suit their preferred playstyle. While Pokémon Unite already includes just over 20 Pokémon fighters, more are expected to come to the game in the future, with leaks revealing upcoming Pokémon Unite characters.
Reddit user and Pokémon Unite player Iago_Bra believes that the game could be using real player usernames to disguise bots after finding evidence of a match they didn't play (via ComicBook). Iago_Bra shared a friend's screenshot which shows their username and a Snorlax as having taken part in the friend's match, despite Iago_Bra not playing the game at the time and not having a Snorlax in their roster. They said:
"A friend of mine played this morning and everything [was] fine (we weren't friends in the game yet). But this happened [sic]: See the snorlax one? It's me (at least my username). But the thing is: I didn't play this morning and I don't have the Snorlax license."
The strange phenomenon caused the Redditor to query whether the game's developer is using real names to hide in-game bots, with other commenters on the post sharing similar stories. Fortunately, it appears that bot accounts' matches won't change the stats of the actual player, even if they do share the same name.
The Pokémon Unite developer TiMi Studio Group hasn't confirmed that the game uses bots, though it's widely believed to be the case. Some players have reported coming across what they believe to be bot groups, which are sometimes included in online multiplayer games to keep lobby wait times to a minimum. TiMi has yet to respond to the claims that it is using existing player usernames to conceal these bots, though the multiple reports from fans on the Reddit post seem to suggest that's what's happening.
If true, it's possible the use of real usernames is why some Pokémon Unite players have seen unexplained friend requests, despite not having matched with the player trying to befriend them. If a user plays a match with a bot using someone's real username, they might choose to friend that username without knowing they'd played with a bot and not the actual user. It's hoped that Pokémon Unite's developer will offer an explanation for both phenomena soon.
Source: Iago_Bra/Reddit (via ComicBook)
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