Valve Bans 90,00 Dota 2 Smurf Accounts to Clean Up Matchmaking

Valve issued 90,000 permanent bans to Dota 2 smurf accounts at the start of September as the developer aims to continue to clean up matchmaking on all fronts.

“Today, we permanently banned 90,000 smurf accounts that have been active over the last few months. Smurf accounts are alternate accounts used by players to avoid playing at the correct MMR, to abandon games, to cheat, to grief, or to otherwise be toxic without consequence,” Valve said in an announcement.

“Additionally, we have traced every single one of these smurf accounts back to its main account. Going forward, a main account found associated with a smurf account could result in a wide range of punishments, from temporary adjustments to behavior scores to permanent account bans.”

Valve Bans 90,00 Dota 2 Smurf Accounts to Clean Up Matchmaking

Smurfing is not a situation unique to Dota 2, but it seems Valve really wants to clean up the matchmaking environment from a competitive standpoint. The step to link smurf accounts to players’ main accounts and the variety of punishments at the developer’s disposal might be enough to sway players away from smurfing on any basis.

“As always, if you suspect someone of smurfing in your game, use the in-game reporting options to flag them. This will help us continue to track offenders and gather data used to inform our anti-smurf efforts moving forward,” Valve said in closing.

The news comes on the heels of the Summer Client Update that included a new Player Behavior System, rendering features and Armory. Dota 2 remains one of the most popular MOBA games on the market alongside League of Legends.

The International, Dota 2’s largets tournament of the year, is set to take place Oct. 12-29 in Seattle.