Riot Games is introducing a new account-linking system in Patch 25.23 to curb malicious players who try to evade enforcement through smurf accounts.

Up to now, many players have been able to avoid punishment by creating or purchasing alternate accounts while keeping their main profiles untouched. Riot plans to change this fundamentally, ensuring that any misconduct on a smurf account will have direct consequences for the player’s main account as well.

The account-linking system identifies and groups multiple accounts belonging to the same individual under a single verified identity. It analyzes hardware data and gameplay patterns to detect attempts to bypass penalties. Once the system determines with high confidence that several accounts belong to one person, any disciplinary action applied to one account will automatically extend to all connected accounts.

Riot explained that it had already been intensifying its enforcement efforts even before this update. According to the company, improvements made to its detection tools in Patch 25.9 led to a tenfold increase in the number of players penalized each day for intentionally sabotaging matches.

Large-scale crackdowns have also targeted account boosting and botting operations. Riot reported that, since Patch 25.18 went live on September 10, roughly 400,000 smurf accounts used in ranked play and around 4 million accounts created for botting or resale purposes have already faced sanctions.

Looking ahead, Riot stated that it will continue to identify and penalize such accounts to maintain a fair and competitive environment for all players.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.