A Destiny 2 content creator is currently the subject of a Bungie ban that is threatening his career and reputation. Now more and more fellow streamers are siding with him because they believe in his innocence and are calling for the decision to be re-examined and his reputation restored.
updated: We updated this article on April 18th with an update from Bungie on the subject. You can find it at the end of the article.
What ban is Destiny 2 about? Bungie recently held a secret meeting to which various content creators were invited. Including the well-known Twitch streamer and YouTuber “Ekuegan”.
Best known for his carries from other players through hard PvE content, such as Grandmaster Twilight, he has clocked over 14,000 hours of play in Destiny 2.
After the said meeting, however, extensive information about the content of the upcoming Season 21 leaked through various and also quite blurry screenshots on a Discord server, which prompted Bungie to conduct an examination.
After a public admonition on Twitter for strict compliance with NDA confidentiality clauses and the indication that this is a violation of developer trust, Bungie ultimately blamed “Ekuegan” for these leaks.
He was softbanned and banned from further Bungie meetings, citing a blurry taskbar on the leaked photos and desktop icons as the reason.
Destiny 2 Bans Twitch Streamer Who Played 14,000 Hours for Breach of Trust – He Says He’s Innocent
However, despite the evidence provided, the streamer in question insists he is innocent. He was tricked.
I only know that [Bungie] made a big mistake and I will clear my name.
Ekuegan announced via Twitter today that friends and fellow streamers believe his ban was unjustified
It’s about the good reputation and a lot of income: After the ban became known through an article by Paul Tassi, friends and well-known streamer colleagues from Ekuguan have now also spoken out.
They are now publicly taking his side with the hashtag #FreeEkuegan, speaking of an unjustified ban and complaining about the lack of transparency in the decision.
The well-known Destiny 2 content creator Gladd writes: “I have always found Ekuegan to be friendly to me and the community. He is a pillar. I trust him; Take this for what it’s worth. At the very least, Bungie needs to take a closer look at this.”
MegsOnTwitch also addresses the situation, saying if he were guilty he wouldn’t lie to us, his friends and colleagues.
Ekuegan was on the verge of tears when I spoke to him about this earlier. You could hear the pain and frustration he feels in his voice. If he were guilty, he wouldn’t go so far as to lie to close friends. I hope the truth will come out. […] If enough of us who believe he didn’t speak up, will [Bungie] maybe notice it and take a second look at all the parts.
posted Megs via Twitter
Is that justice or nepotism? While support from the streamer community gives Ekuguan hope, there are also critics. Destiny 2 players speak of nepotism.
The complaint is that the streamer colleagues of the banned creator simply believe him without knowing the facts. Streamers’ solidarity is seen as a threat to the objectivity and transparency that should prevail in the streaming industry.
DynasticReign says:
Why would Bungie be required to release the facts of their investigation into him? If it happened so quickly, it means it was pretty obvious it was him. Stop that ‘Oh he’s a nice guy so there’s no way it could have been him’.”
comments on DynasticReign under Gladd’s Twitter post
Gamer Tim Dunn also argues, “Do you think Bungie didn’t take a close look at this? It struck me that he never denied that the information came from his PC, he only denied that he passed it on.”
However, the case of the banned Twitch streamer in Destiny 2 has already shown one thing. A content creator’s reputation can be jeopardized incredibly quickly.
UPDATE 04/18/2023: Will Bungie look into the case again? No. The Bungie team made it clear on Twitter that nothing will be double-checked here. The following was communicated to the players:
Our security and legal teams have reviewed irrefutable evidence, including video footage, verified messages and images, showing a temporal pattern that confirms that the same individual shared confidential information from community summits over multiple years.
We are very disappointed to have received this information and wish things had been different with this person. We do not take these measures lightly and we are confident in our decision.
This is our final communication on this matter.
via Twitter
Ekuguan’s streamer colleagues will probably not be able to re-examine the case.
What do you say about his spell? Do you think Bungie did a proper check and rightly banned him? Or do you think his friends and colleagues are right that he would never risk his job as a content creator and the associated reputation in the industry and that’s why someone must have tricked him. Do you think Bungie needs to look at the case again because of this? Feel free to tell us in the comments.
There is currently movement on the cheater front in Destiny 2, because the manufacturers of the nasty hardware cheat devices are now warning of the developers’ new detection systems:
Manufacturers of cheat hardware are getting nervous, warning of bans after updates in Call of Duty and Rainbow Six