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Valve offers free Left 4 Dead 2 for erroneous Modern Warfare 2 bans

  • By Eddie Makuch, GameSpot
  • Posted Jul 27, 2010 11:09 am PT

Developer wrongfully banned thousands of Call of Duty gamers in the past two weeks; company president offers mea culpa, free copies of Left 4 Dead 2 as recompense.

During the course of the past two weeks, Valve's anti-cheat software automatically banned as many as 12,000 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 soldiers on the grounds of bamboozlement. The Seattle game developer has since overturned (for non-cheaters) the decision and is offering free copies of the zombie-killing shooter, Left 4 Dead 2, as payment for time lost.

All's fair in love and war, except cheating.

All's fair in love and war, except cheating.

"This was our mistake, and I apologize for any frustration or angst it may have caused you," Valve president Gabe Newell wrote in an e-mail to afflicted persons according to a Steam forum user user.

In addition to offering an apology, in the letter, Newell explained exactly why some gamers hoping to frag enemies in Modern Warfare 2 had their accounts banned.

"The problem was that Steam would fail a signature check between the disk version of a DLL and a latent memory version. This was caused by a combination of conditions occurring while Steam was updating the disk image of a game. This wasn't a game-specific mistake. Steam allows us to manage and reverse these erroneous bans (about 12,000 erroneous bans over two weeks)."

In addition to reinstating wrongfully banned virtual soldiers, Valve is hoping to win gamers back by granting all affected persons a free copy of Left 4 Dead 2, as well as an additional copy to gift to a friend.

Valve's anti-cheat software, Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC), was created by the company and was first used in 2002 to help clean out the bad apples in Counter Strike. Based on Valve's zero-tolerance policy, all bans are permanent. The technology has since seen revisions and has been employed in many games, including Team Fortress 2, Counter Strike: Source, and others.

244 Comments

  • kenmanius

    Posted Sep 11, 2010 8:13 am GMT

    In the meantime VAC is still worthless against mw2 cheaters. " We want to take them out in waves" they say. So you get 8 weeks of bulls@#t hacker hosts and 3 weeks of tranquility after they all get wiped and then the process just starts over again. Sigh.

  • aboy7

    Posted Aug 12, 2010 9:08 pm GMT

    What if you already own a copy of L4D2?

  • Dynamo11

    Posted Aug 2, 2010 2:06 pm GMT

    @Gelugon_baat
    A mind numbing shooter when you run on a linear path killing zombies with non-upgradable weapons. Sound familiar? Oh yeah cause Left4Dead was the same except it was fresh and new back then so people enjoyed it.

    I am not a moron who just enjoys killing zombies. I like my video games to challenge me more than just "dodge the jumping zombie".

  • bababoss

    Posted Aug 2, 2010 10:07 am GMT

    good game full of action 100%

  • kais112

    Posted Aug 1, 2010 5:42 am GMT

    this happened to me and i was really happy it got removed and plus free copies of L4D2 are a bonus

  • Rakolazagiz

    Posted Jul 31, 2010 1:56 pm GMT

    Valve sure know's how to treat the community.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 29, 2010 5:02 pm GMT

    @koolman01
    Oh... So it's custom rules? Not really using the standard VAC rules set, i.e. the ones set by Valve for Counter-Strike: Source? If so, this is very important to point out first if you are going to tell others you got banned from servers. Anyway, you have my sympathy.

  • koolman01

    Posted Jul 29, 2010 10:46 am GMT

    @Gelugon_baat is was during the hardcore days of zmod and there was a sever owned by like a bunch of kids and they had these retarded rules like u could not do certain things and so i was like come back to this game when ur balls drop

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 29, 2010 7:22 am GMT

    @koolman01
    What did you possibly do to get banned?

  • koolman01

    Posted Jul 29, 2010 7:11 am GMT

    @Gelugon_baat true they could play on unvac servers cuz i am not going to lie i have bin banned from some on css so i just played on unvaced servers

  • koolman01

    Posted Jul 29, 2010 7:07 am GMT

    @KrazzyDJ i have steam and u can sell the games u have for money

  • Akucapri

    Posted Jul 29, 2010 1:20 am GMT

    @eriktkire

    Tell that to pigheaded valve/steam.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 5:44 pm GMT

    @Jawehawk-DK
    That's just a warning, not a threat.

    And not everyone here worships Valve.

  • Groby234

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 3:50 pm GMT

    This is gay so many innocent people b& but they get L4D2, great game. And thankfully, I wasn't b&.

  • KaizerJinn

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 2:59 pm GMT

    LoL... the irony is unbearable... x^D

  • wiiplay1

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 1:17 pm GMT

    @mjc0961

    Glad to see I'm not the only one with a sense of sarcasm. But seriously, it's not Steam's fault. The problem is on your end. Don't blame them for your problems.

  • Jawehawk-DK

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 12:23 pm GMT

    @Rottenwood

    My complaint isn't about Valve, giving out free games. It's about all the people on this forum, who worships Valve, just because they do this.
    It's about the Valve fanboys who thumb people down, just for saying anything negative about Valve, or any of their games. The people that say "Valve is the best developer ever", when there's plenty of other developers who are much more talented. That's not saying that Valve is incompetent, but they aren't all that great. They even split up the L4D community, by making a sequel. All those promises about keeping the original alive, suddenly dissapeared. But no one even notices it.

    My comment wasn't meant as an insult torwards you, but more as a reminder to not be fooled by Valve.

  • Jawehawk-DK

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 12:17 pm GMT

    @ChoiMein

    I never said it was a ridicules thing to do. In fact, I said it's a decent thing to do. My complaint with Valve, and their fans, are that Valve never seems to fully finish a game. If you've tried a L4D game, you should know. Not saying it's a bad game, but it's very unfinished.

  • mjc0961

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 11:42 am GMT

    @wiiplay1: Oh yeah that's it. I never figured to turn on my speakers. Thank you for that pearl of widsom. Never mind that I already said the problem is only on Steam's games and every other game had sound... I didn't turn my sound on. You're brilliant. You should be working for Microsoft or Sony or somebody working on the latest technological advances with those massive brains of yours.

  • Ringx55

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 11:19 am GMT

    Wow, that is quite the gift their giving.

  • The_Mad_Hatter

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 11:01 am GMT

    I agree with Alkpaz... we gamers need to band together

  • UltimateRAGEX

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 10:57 am GMT

    Valve's anti-cheat software can't stop JTAG xbox 360s

  • solidsnake726

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 10:56 am GMT

    All companies need to take a note from valve's generous apology.

  • Paskiewicz

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 10:07 am GMT

    Ouch... L4D 2 is repetitive for that. =S

  • Alkpaz

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 10:07 am GMT

    Valve isn't the "best" company, but it is a good one. Blizzard is also another "good" company. EA, on the other hand, I wouldn't even poke a stick at, but, like most gamers, I ignore the EA label when I buy a game like Mass Effect 2 or Dragon Age Origins with its DLC and all. (Bioware may still operate, but EA holds its tennis balls) Much like the C&C series. (although I hated C&C4 and its Tonka-Truck feel, I still enjoyed C&C3) Need I mention that we STILL continue to buy Need for Speed games?! So even though we may hate companies like EA or ValueSoft, we still buy the games in record numbers. (See: Rebellion and AvP 2010) If we want companies to change, we have to stop the madness and start "boycotting with gusto", as I see it now, this will NEVER happen, just like our reliance on oil for everything from our car fuel to plastic forks and clothes.

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:46 am GMT

    @Jawehawk-DK

    I don't think disagreeing about this singular issue means I have my head up Valve's ass. (Full disclosure: I use and enjoy Steam to get older games, and I played Portal and Team Fortress 2 quite a bit when they were new.) They made an uh-oh, and rather than issue an empty apology, they gave away a good game to make amends and do some damage control. In an era where everyone and their uncle is griping about DLC and DRM and another evil acronyms, simply giving away a good game for free is a shrewd move to slide them further down the 'good guy' scale.

    So yes, it's a P.R. move, but not nearly as nefarious as other posters here have suggested, such as Gelugon_baat's suggestion of corporate mind control. They're giving out 12,000 copies of Left 4 Dead 2, not dumping the Joker toxin into our national water supply. I highly doubt Valve's corporate branding fortunes will get much of an upswing from a relatively small number of downloads of a single game.

  • bodylotion

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:38 am GMT

    L4D2 can not be compared to MW2 because they are completely different kinds of shooters. The MW2 fanboys should be happy with a free copy of L4D2 which is still also a good game.

  • GunBladeHero

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:37 am GMT

    I guess this only affected PC players eh?
    I was worried because I thought this was happening on the console version too.

  • Ozzie234

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:31 am GMT

    @Rottenwood

    Touché! haha

  • cornerback3

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:23 am GMT

    I'd be happy to get banned

  • eriktkire

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:21 am GMT

    @Akucapri
    VAC ain't flawless because nothing in the world of computers is flawless.

    @mantis08
    I don't think anyone would ever think of MW2 as an MMO... with its limited P2P setup... that's as far from MMO as you can get.

  • ChoiMein

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:17 am GMT

    oh and btw for all of yous who think that these mw2 fans aren't getting their mw2 games back... valve even said (and it was IN this post on gamespot) "Steam allows us to manage and reverse these erroneous bans." sooo stop thinking that valve is just giving everyone L4D2 'instead' of MW2.... they're getting both... so next time just read a little bit, it'll do you some good...

  • ChoiMein

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:11 am GMT

    @Jawehawk-DK really?? it may be a PR move, but they're a COMPANY... I don't remember the last time any company did anything that WASN'T related to PR... why do you think this is such a ridiculous thing? If this had happened with any other company you know what that company would have done?? Next to nothing... they would have reinstated the gamers (maybe) and then would have released some sort of press release stating what happened and apologizing... and that's probably about it. Valve went the extra step and gave something back to the gamers. Everybody involved in this wins... valve wins with new fans, and the fans win, with new games.. sorry to bust your bubble but if people want to praise valve for making a CORRECT PR move, then they have every right to do so..

    and @Gelugon_baat .....Holy posts baatman...

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 9:00 am GMT

    Oh, and a friendly advice to all of you playing Steamworks games subjected to VAC: please don't use scripts. Some scripts are not considered cheating (such as Team Fortress 2's Pyro's ever-entertaining Panic Button script), but you may never know when Valve or its developer partners consider these scripts to be cheating. Also, programmers who are supporting these scripts with improvements may unwittingly publish an 'update' that gets on the bad side of the VAC.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:42 am GMT

    @Jawehawk-DK

    Jawehawk-DK wrote:
    God you Valve fanboys are pathetic.

    Valve fanboys may be fanboys, but they are some of the insidiously nastiest around, always trying to get around the VAC and exploit every little bug in Valve's games. You may want to be very, very careful about revealing any more information about yourself from now on. All those thumb's-downs won't be the end of their retaliation against you.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:36 am GMT

    @Dynamo11
    @Jawehawk-DK
    How exactly is Left 4 Dead 2 a mediocre game? Perhaps you will want to support your statement better with more elaboration.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:34 am GMT

    @BelaidKL

    BelaidKL wrote:
    thats way too generous for people who cheat and ruin COD for all of us, and now wll ruin L4D2

    Perhaps you should have rephrased your statement to mention that some of the erroneous bans may have not been so erroneous after all, that is, some of the players that have been unbanned are actually deserving of being smashed with the Banhammer. VAC, if it is capable of showing false positives, would be capable of showing false negatives as well.

    In any case, you can play L4D2 without any worries; that game of Valve's is far, far better regulated than you think - certainly better than a game that still lets player use seemingly overpowered load-outs and combinations.

    If the cheaters who managed to be among those whose bans were overturned attempt to cheat in L4D2, the same BanHammer is going to pound an additional BanNail into their thick skulls.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:18 am GMT

    @Rottenwood
    If the completely free publishing of Alien Swarm has not shown so already, Valve is after market share, not profits, e.g. having more consumers spend their time playing its games. Money-making then comes naturally once Valve managed to convert more consumers into its legions of drones.

    This is actually quite a sneaky move on Valve's part actually. It may suffer lost sales from this fiasco, but having some persons hooked to Activision's games switching their game fix over to Valve's is a victory on its own.

    Remember: the real goal of each corporation is not to make money, but to rule the world by dominating the mind of every consumer! (Often at the expense of other corporations.)

  • Jawehawk-DK

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:15 am GMT

    @Rottenwood

    Please pull your head out of Valve's behind. Look at the comments, and see all the fanboys worshipping Valve for such a little thing. It's pure PR.
    Valve doesn't loose anything at all by giving out digital copies of L4D2.
    They do, however, gain more fans. I'm not saying Valve is a bad company. However, it's pretty ridicules that people call them the best developer out there. How many people are begging for a sequel to HL, yet nothing is comming. Both L4D games are fun, but feel extremely unfinished.

  • jarvool

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:13 am GMT

    @rottenwood
    Best possible answer!

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:09 am GMT

    @koolman01
    @zeniftan
    They are most likely to get more gifts of Left 4 Dead 2 then. Besides, it's not like they can't permanently play Modern Warfare 2 anymore; the ban on them had been overturned after all.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:07 am GMT

    @KrazzyDJ
    Uh... Steamworks versions of games cannot be re-sold to others. They are permanently tied to users' accounts, unless they are bought as gifts.

  • Flint247

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:05 am GMT

    This goes to show you, actions speak louder than words.

  • KrazzyDJ

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 8:00 am GMT

    @koolman01
    Maybe that person can sell his / her copy / copies and earn some cash in return !!!

  • koolman01

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 7:51 am GMT

    but what if that person has L4D 2 already what happens

  • xpepox

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 7:21 am GMT

    i wish they would have banned me from that stupid game so i could get a free game.

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Jul 28, 2010 6:55 am GMT

    @Ozzie234

    I think the more pressing question is this: are the authorities aware of that girl being locked in my storage shed?

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