Game Freak is taking a zero-tolerance stance on a new exploit discovered in Pokémon Sword and Shield’s online mode. Dubbed the “disconnect rank glitch,” the gist is that players can disconnect from a match online at just the right time to ensure they don’t lose any rank points. In a nice double whammy, the opponent won’t gain any points for the win either. It’s a scummy move.
In an announcement on the official Pokémon website, Game Freak explains that it will begin banning players that consistently exploit this glitch. While moves are likely being made to get a solution in place, the developer will be investigating accounts to see if an action has been “performed repeatedly.” If deemed so, you could end up getting banned from Sword and Shield permanently.
One potential solution would be to automatically give a win to the player that didn’t disconnect. At least, in that case, the other player won’t feel like their time was wasted. Another solution could be to display a disconnect percentage rate on a player’s profile, indicating their overall internet quality (fighting games have done similarly in the past).
Whatever happens, it’s time to stop the old “pull out the ethernet cable” trick. Just accept your loss and move on.
Source: Pokémon Support
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