Twitch announces that users using cheats for their streams of mobile title Pokemon GO will be on the receiving end of punishment, up to and including bans.

Online streaming service Twitch and the Pokemon franchise have a long history together. Twitch Plays Pokemon is one the most memorable moments in the recent history of the service, and the channel, where viewers were able to guide the player character through the Pokemon Red journey, had plenty of spiritual successors for games such as Dark Souls. However, mobile hit Pokemon GO will not be receiving any special treatment from the service when it comes to cheaters, with Twitch announcing bans for those who break its terms and conditions.

Twitch reiterated its stance with regards to cheating in a recent update on the official Twitch website. There, Brian Petrocelli, head of Product Marketing, made sure that Pokemon GO players were very much aware that the game would not be exempt from the standard Twitch terms of service. "Recently we issued a statement that streaming content on our services which violates third-party terms of service or other user agreements is a violation of our own Terms of Service." said Petrocelli. "Today we would like to make clear that this policy also holds true for Pokemon GO content on Twitch."

The post outlined exactly what is counted as cheating by Pokemon GO's developer, Niantic. According to the developer's own guidelines, using unofficial or modified software, playing with multiple accounts (rather than one account per person), and sharing accounts are all considered cheating. This also extends to falsifying a player's real-world location, and selling or trading accounts.

Because of this, Twitch will be taking a stricter turn with any Pokemon GO streamers violating these terms. As of today, "anyone sharing content that features or promotes cheating in Pokemon GO will receive a strike on their account." So, Twitch users playing Pokemon GO will need to be extra cautious from now on.

Unfortunately, this does mean that one of the most recent Twitch Plays streams is unlikely to see a return any time soon. Last month, Twitch Plays Pokemon GO started picking up a solid following, although the creators have not made any version updates since mid-July. Given that the Pokemon GO account in question uses spoofing software to mimic a real-world location, and that it could technically be considered an account being used by multiple persons, there are a multitude of reasons why Twitch could shut down the stream.

Twitch has often had to walk the fine line between delivering the service users want and maintaining a legally-solid position. As such, the service has worked with Blizzard to try and curb racism in streams, and even banned a number of mature games from streaming. Only time will tell, however, as to whether this new initiative to stop Pokemon GO cheaters will be successful.

Check out our helpful Pokemon GO guides:

Pokemon GO is available now for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Source: Twitch