Rockstar Games has embraced the world of multiplayer with both popular titles Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Grand Theft Auto 5 released originally on September 17, 2013, and Red Dead Redemption 2 was released on October 28, 2018. Since release, both titles have received a gargantuan share of content patches focused almost entirely on online components.
Rockstar Games has enjoyed a long lifespan with their titles, hinging on open-world design and fascinating vistas to explore. The multiplayer aspect, however, can invite bad actors that take joy in ruining the game for others. Rockstar Games hasn't shied away from the fight against these cheaters, however, ensuring that those who opt to play do so under the vision that Rockstar Games set out to create.
A job posting from Rockstar Games was discovered today, showing that the company is seeking an "Associate Cheat Operations Analyst." The functions include the analysis of information to identify cheaters and mods for the online components of the titles. Rockstar North similarly has a position open for a Senior Cheat Operations Analyst, implying that Rockstar Games already readily uses this counter against cheat makers. Yet the war of developers and cheaters has been ongoing in PC since the original days of Quake.
Cheaters within the two titles are stretching far beyond offering themselves a few thousand dollars to pay the bills. While Rockstar recently succeeded in shutting down a popular Grand Theft Auto Online cheat maker, it has not been a killing blow to the demographic. Other times, dozens of airplanes will be spawned in to wreak chaos until the server crashes. Rockstar's penchant for open-world mayhem invites cheaters to grief in new and creative ways. Vehicles explode without warning, players are sent flying, money is randomly added and removed from player accounts - cheaters generally offer a frustrating time for those looking to while away the hours with a bit of mayhem.
The case is one of supply and demand, where there will always be a demand for means of circumventing the standard playstyle of titles. Valve has struggled against cheaters within Counter-Strike: Global Offensive since it was released, and continues to do so today. Riot Games developed a kernel-based anti-cheat dubbed Vanguard that has continued to struggle against cheaters. Developers for Escape From Tarkov cheats have crafted a solution where cheaters must use two computers simultaneously. It's a Sisyphean task for developers to stay ahead in a battle where one is constantly on the back foot.