{"rewrite":{"id":"r_5e4b3b9a8c148ebdcf21223c","clusterId":"c_33e17a2f621bbb0f216818d9","slug":"riot-games-purged-296-416-accounts-in-one-year-over-rank-manipulation","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Riot Games Purged 296,416 Accounts In One Year Over Rank Manipulation","summary":"Riot Games published a Japanese-language account of how its Vanguard Anti-Boost system detects smurfing in VALORANT and League of Legends. The system, introduced to League of Legends in September 2025 and to VALORANT in July 2026, has led to action against 296,416 accounts. Riot says about 9% of accounts playing ranked matches on a given day are sub-accounts, and that more than half of those are harmless.","whyItMatters":"Riot's own numbers draw the line it is willing to defend: sub-accounts as a category are not the target, rank manipulation is, and the 296,416 figure is the measure of how much enforcement it will commit to.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eRiot Games has put numbers on its smurf crackdown. The Vanguard Anti-Boost layer analyzes sudden performance spikes by players other than the account owner, plus unnatural party determinations. Punishments fall by role: boosted users lose points and rewards and face forced demotion plus temporary bans, purchased or unknown-ownership accounts get permanent bans when rank dropping or buying and selling is confirmed, habitual boosters face phased bans on their own main account, and carried companions lose unfairly obtained ranks regardless of intent. Riot\u0026#39;s stated reason is protecting the value players put into improving, and it said banning every sub-account would not improve the health of the game.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Riot's own data says over half the sub-accounts in ranked are harmless, so the anti-boost system's 296,416 bans land where detection is easiest, not where harm is largest. Vanguard's scope is the unresolved part.","twitterPost":"Riot flags 296,416 accounts while conceding most ranked sub-accounts are harmless. Detection reach and actual harm don't line up.","threadsPost":"Riot's Vanguard Anti-Boost numbers carry their own caveat: about 9% of ranked accounts are sub-accounts, and more than half of those are harmless. The 296,416 bans sit on the half that isn't, which means the harder call is still which sub-accounts count as harm.","newsletterBlurb":"Riot Games detailed how Vanguard Anti-Boost detects smurfing in VALORANT and League of Legends, and said it has actioned 296,416 accounts over rank manipulation. Punishments differ by role, from forced demotion for boosted users to permanent bans for bought accounts. Riot also pushed back on banning all sub-accounts, saying more than half are harmless.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/02/173070.html\",\"title\":\"About 9% of ranked match participants are sub-accounts, but more than half of those are deemed \\\"harmless\\\"... Riot Games purged about 300,000 accounts in one year; VALORANT and LoL publisher publishes Japanese-language article on smurfing\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4669,"outputTokens":678,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791253629,"createdAt":"2026-10-06T02:21:49.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-06T02:26:06.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-06T02:26:06.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_33e17a2f621bbb0f216818d9","canonicalTitle":"ランクマッチに参加するサブアカウントの割合は約9%だがその半分以上は“無害”と判断…1年で約30万人を粛清、『VALORANT』『LoL』Riot Gamesがスマーフ行為に関する日本語版記事を公開","representativeArticleId":"a_8fba10ff6418fb6e68f03cd0","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"VALORANT\",\"League of Legends\"],\"studios\":[\"Riot Games\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-02T06:30:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-02T06:30:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-06T02:26:06.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/02/173070.html","title":"ランクマッチに参加するサブアカウントの割合は約9%だがその半分以上は“無害”と判断…1年で約30万人を粛清、『VALORANT』『LoL』Riot Gamesがスマーフ行為に関する日本語版記事を公開"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["VALORANT","League of Legends"],"studios":["Riot Games"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}