Escape from Tarkov streamer and dataminer gets permabanned and unbanned in under 24 hours

Escape From Tarkov
(Image credit: Battlestate Games)

A streamer and dataminer that's been at the centre of Escape from Tarkov's datamining saga, has had a whirlwind 24 hours finding themselves supposedly permanently banned before being unbanned within the day. 

LogicalSolutions tweeted on Saturday that they had been permabanned, but proceeded to follow up just 24 hours later, with an update saying that the decision had been reversed. The latter came with no announcement and the streamer was just able to log back in again as normal.

However, the grounds for the initial ban were later elaborated on by LogicalSolutions. They shared a conversation with game director Nikita Bayanov that seemingly revealed Buyanov saying to the streamer that they "shouldn't share how you datamine and everything. We saw it so you broke the rules again." 

LogicalSolutions replied denying sharing any datamined information after developer Battlestate instigated a 'crackdown' on the practice, but Buyanov then escalated the conversation by accusing the streamer of lying.

LogicalSolutions livestreamed his reaction to his subsequent unbanning yesterday and shared the ban email which accused the streamer of "automation of access to game tools" and using "circumvention tools" to, well, strongly implying that they engaged in datamining. As of now, the situation seems to be resolved, but  LogicalSolutions remains concerned about the lack of communication surrounding the issue. 

Datamining has been an increasingly widespread way of inspecting game files to reveal 'secrets', hidden planned content, or things that were cut from the game. Despite almost certainly engaging in the practice, LogicalSolutions has often done so from a helpful perspective, explaining the game's mechanics and tricks, and tips in order for new players to get into the game more smoothly.

Escape from Tarkov remains one of the most popular online games to play right now and has built up a committed and strong community. It is certainly one of the best FPS games out there at the moment, too, and has solid tactical, military-sim-like combat.

Rob Dwiar
Managing Editor, TechRadar Gaming

Rob is the Managing Editor of TechRadar Gaming, a video games journalist, critic, editor, and writer, and has years of experience gained from multiple publications. Prior to being TechRadar Gaming's Managing Editor, he was TRG's Deputy Editor, and a longstanding member of GamesRadar+, being the Commissioning Editor for Hardware there for years, while also squeezing in a short stint as Gaming Editor at WePC just before joining TechRadar Gaming. He is also a freelance writer on tech, gaming hardware, video games, gardens, and landscapes and is crowdfunding a book on video game landscapes that you can back and pre-order now too.