Valorant Game Changers team forfeits VCT match after Riot flags cheating suspicions

A Valorant Game Changers team, Noot Noot, was made to forfeit a match after one of their players was caught cheating by Riot’s Anti-Cheat. 

The North America VCT Game Changers Series 3 is currently ongoing to determine which second team will be joining Version1 to represent NA in the end-of-year Game Changers Championship. 

However, midway into the playoffs, a team, Noot Noot, was made to forfeit their last map and the match against Complexity GX3 after a player was caught cheating. 

VCT Game Changers team forfeits match after Riot cheating suspicion

Announced by the Valorant NA Twitter account, a competitive ruling was made on Noot Noot, announcing a player was caught by the Riot Anti-Cheat for cheating. 

“During the VCT Game Changers Series 3 match between Noot Noot and Complexity GX3, Riot Anti-Cheat confirmed competitive integrity was compromised by Noot Noot,” the statement reads. 

Per Game Changers Rules and Regulations, teams who have been found violating the competitive integrity of a match will receive a match forfeit.” Riot announced a full investigation will be launched into the matter. 

Before the ruling came out, the series was tied at 1-1 between both teams. However, going into the third map the broadcast had a nearly two-hour long intermission, announcing on stream that the competitive ruling was made against Noot Noot, making them forfeit the match.

With this forfeited match, it also means Noot Noot has been disqualified from the tournament. However, questions arose surrounding their previous results. 

Just like every single team in the tournament, Noot Noot had to go through an open qualifier, making it into the tournament through the lower bracket beating several Game Changers teams. 

In the tournament, Noot Noot had one victory in the upper bracket against Disguised GC, sending them to the lower bracket where they were eliminated by Evil Geniuses GC. 

No specific player was mentioned by Riot, however, Noot Noot’s malibu was the player who was accused of cheating and was caught by Riot’s Anti-Cheat. 

VCT Game Changers team responds after forfeiting match due to cheating suspicions

Noot Noot’s twitter said in response to the competitive ruling, “Unfortunately our Game Changer Series 3 run ends as we have been disqualified by Riot. We have no information as to why this happened, we are waiting on more information.”

In addition, Noot Noot’s player xann said of malibu, “I met malibu literally two weeks before Game Changers Series 3 and never once did it seem like they were cheating.” 

“We have zero context and we really have no idea what they found or what truly happened. If they were cheating than me, mili, and karie had quite literally just met them and rebuilt Noot Noot just for Game Changers to pug it out and have fun.” 

Xann continued to say, “If you want to hate than I completely understand but us as three had no idea who this player even was.” 

Update: Riot released a competitive ruling and update on the ‘noot noot’ cheating finding on October 6. See below for more details.

Update: On January 17, Riot released their full competitive ruling and investigation findings into Malibu and James “Summertime” Edwards.

Malibu is now permanently banned from any association or affiliation with a team in any Riot-sanctioned competition for providing false information, playing with another player’s account, and circumventing a hardware ban.

Summertime is banned for one year from any association or affiliation with a team in a Riot-sanctioned competition for providing the Tournament Organizer with a false picture of Malibu, and attempting to assist her in providing false information.