Earlier this week, three CS:GO coaches from Hard Legion, Heroic, and MIRB were suspended by the ESL for up to two years for using glitches that allow them to watch games from anywhere on the map and communicate information to players without anyone knowing. A few days later, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) imposed its own penalty for a wider range of tournaments.

Today, the ESIC announced that since imposing these sanctions, it has "reviewed a large volume of evidence" and, based on that, has decided to conduct an investigation into other possible exploits of the glitch, dating back to 2016. The investigation will include an analysis of nearly 25,000 demos of CS:GO matches played between 2016-20. Based on the findings, a "standard sanction" will be established, a further manual review of "major suspicious demos" will be conducted, and a breakdown of sanctions will be published on a monthly basis.

This will be a major undertaking: the ESIC estimates that it will take approximately eight months to complete the investigation, but also warns that the process may be prolonged due to "additional complications that may arise during the investigation process." As with the penalties imposed earlier this week, the results of the investigation will apply to tournament series such as ESL, Dreamhack, Blast, WePlay, Eden Esports, UMG, and UCC. An appeals process is also available.

There is also a "confession period" available until September 13 for remorseful cheaters who want to take advantage of the urgency.

"The ESIC recognizes that people sometimes make mistakes and regret their decisions, and in the ESIC's view it is important, wherever possible, to reform and rehabilitate the offender into someone who values integrity in competition and can contribute again to the CS:GO community. Therefore, prior to our investigation, the ESIC will establish a "confession period" for violators who wish to come forward and admit wrongdoing."

"Confessions will be evaluated and, subject to the discretion of the Commissioner, the ESIC will, based on the availability and quality of the confession provided, determine the sanctions that may be applied to the violator with may choose to apply a concession"

. [In other words, you have to throw yourself on the mercy of the court and hope everyone is in a good mood, but if you prefer to roll the dice on contrition rather than exculpation, you can admit your guilt at [email protected].

When ESIC was launched in 2016 (which explains its investigative window), we wondered if it would actually have any teeth to enforce integrity in professional esports competition. That is true in traditional sports leagues as well, but the problem obviously remains with players and teams that are willing to break the rules in order to gain an advantage. But the fact that ESIC still exists and is willing to do deep-dive investigations like this one is at least evidence that it remains committed to its mission.

"We appreciate your vocal support of our work to protect the field from bad actors, and we understand that for many within the CS:GO community, the past week of exposure has been tough. Rest assured, ESIC is doing everything in our power to root out and eliminate bad actors for the long-term good of the scene."