Streamer LogicalSolutions, who finds himself a central figure in Escape from Tarkov’s “illegal” datamining saga, took to Twitter last night stating that he had been banned from the game. This morning, LogicalSolutions announced that his account was now reinstated, all with little clear communication from Tarkov developer Battlestate.
LogicalSolutions also shared a screenshot of a purported text conversation with Tarkov game director Nikita Buyanov from after the ban. Buyanov stated, “You shouldn’t share how you datamine and everything. We saw it so you broke the rules again.”
LogicalSolutions denied having shared any datamined information since Battlestate’s announcement of a crackdown, to which Buyanov stated “you lie” and shared screenshots of LogicalSolutions sharing information on stream—screenshots which the streamer states are from before Battlestate’s announcement.
In a broadcast this morning, LogicalSolutions stated that he received no communication from Battlestate that his ban was lifted, and that he simply was able to log into his account again. LogicalSolutions did share the ban email on-stream, which cited use of “circumvention tools” and “automation of access to game tools” as the reason.
“I’m very glad that Nikita or the folk collectively at Battlestate changed their mind. I’m very thankful,” The streamer told his audience. “But I’d still like there to be some kind of communication. I wish we could have a conversation.”
Datamining is a phenomenon in many game communities, live service or otherwise. Examination of a game’s files can reveal cut or planned content, as well as statistical or mechanical information useful for guides or buildcrafting. The guides and mechanics-focused datamining seems to have been a particular specialty of LogicalSolutions, who has been a frequent contributor to the Tarkov wiki.
I’ve reached out to Battlestate for comment on the situation, and will update this story if I hear back. In the meantime, LogicalSolutions has a stay of execution, while the sentiment in a few big threads on the Tarkov subreddit seems broadly pro-dataminer, especially when it comes to explaining mechanics in the hardcore shooter and making it more approachable for players.