Pokemon Sun and Moon players are being banned to go online due to cheating. Banning cheaters looks good on paper, but it seems that the implementation is far from perfect. Some players have been left wondering why they were banned when there was no reason to be.
Almost 6,000 Players Have Now Been Banned
The Pokemon Global Link website has stated (via Serebii) that 5,954 Pokemon Sun and Moon users have now been banned for altering save files. Players included in this count now cannot go online to use Game Sync or to enter Rating Battles, Battle Competitions and even Global Missions.
Those who have been banned will get the error message with code 090-0212 shown below. It would also seem that The Pokemon Company is not stopping at 6,000 as they have promised on pursuing and enacting the ban to those who are guilty.
Pokemon Sun And Moon Players Being Accused Wrongly
According to iDigitalTimes, there are two ways to get banned: by going online even before Pokemon Sun and Moon were released and by having a "hacked" Pokemon. There are numerous problems with this that warranted bans for innocent players of the games.
Some players who have traded Pokemon online may have accidentally gotten a "hacked" monster without the receiving party knowing about it. Since they would then have it in their Pokemon Sun and Moon save file, they will be banned.
Some monsters that players have gotten from the game itself may also be tagged as "hacked" because the system that determines "legal" ones is not perfect, Pokemon experts mused. There are now many instances of Pokemon not being allowed on online battles even though they were acquired "legally."
It is currently unknown if the Pokemon Sun and Moon ban can be reversed. The Pokemon Company has yet to comment on the matter.
