Destiny 2 player banned for leaking confidential info as Bungie cites “irrefutable evidence”
Bungie has doubled down on its accusations against the increasingly infamous Destiny 2 leaker, going so far as to say it has "irrefutable evidence" confirming who is responsible for the leaks. Since Bungie first publicly commented on the subject, the alleged leaker has vocally proclaimed their own innocence. Destiny 2 players have, in turn, questioned whether Bungie acted hastily. The latest official statement makes clear Bungie has absolute confidence in its decision.
This past week, Bungie issued a statement on Twitter regarding community interaction and engagement. It mentioned Bungie inviting content creators to private, confidential events, and how "breaches of trust" could force these events to be discontinued. It did not explicitly mention any leaks or a leaker, but the statement coincided with prominent Destiny 2 player and streamer Ekuegan being banned from the game. Ekuegan has since confirmed Bungie believes he is the leaker, but has aggressively counterclaimed he has been "framed."
Following an outpouring of support from the Destiny 2 community and media, Ecuvegan decided to make another announcement over the weekend, stating that Destiny 2 content was not leaked and that Bungie was to blame. Bungie declined to identify specific names or incidents, but said its security and legal departments "examined rigorous evidence, including video footage, audited reports and images showing a pattern over the years." In other words, Bungie makes it clear that it came to this conclusion for a reason. He is adamant that he found the delicacy and punished the right person.
Our Security and Legal teams have reviewed irrefutable evidence, including video recordings, verified messages, and images demonstrating a pattern over time that confirm the same individual shared confidential information from Community Summits spanning multiple years. https://t.co/y0vjkVeb9i
— Destiny 2 Team (@Destiny2Team) April 18, 2023
While Bungie does not get any more specific, the differences between the two statements are significant. The first statement is very ambiguous and leaves a lot up to the Destiny 2 community to figure out on its own. Unsurprisingly, the Destiny 2 community hoped a mistake had been made. Bungie's second statement made clear no such mistake has been made, delivering a more concrete resolution even without naming names.
Some have questioned Bungie's decision not to act on the Destiny 2 leaks legally, especially given how confident the company seemed to be. Even some people think Bungie is in the wrong if there is no legal settlement. However, there are a lot of reasons why Bungie wouldn't. For starters, a court lawsuit would be expensive. Additionally, it would greatly intensify the controversy. It's also conceivable that Bungie is tracking down the leaker. Beyond being barred from the game on which they built their profession, a significant civil lawsuit from Bungie might wreck the leaker's life.
In the end, what's important to remember is that this is a bad situation for all parties involved. Bungie has had major announcements leaked for years, and the alleged leaker has had their Destiny 2 career ended. Here's hoping all parties can move forward, even if the full truth of the situation is never shared publicly.