Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2 Devs Won’t Say Whether They’ll Ban Elon Musk for Account Boosting

Both Blizzard Entertainment and Grinding Gear Games have faced scrutiny after Elon Musk reportedly admitted to cheating in their respective games, Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2. Screenshots of a private conversation between Musk and a YouTuber revealed his confession of paying for account boosting in these action RPGs, sparking outrage among fans who feel the integrity of the games is being compromised.

Account boosting, where a player pays someone else to log into their account and elevate their rank, is strictly prohibited under the terms of service for most live service games. Blizzard's end user license agreement explicitly bans account boosting or power-leveling in exchange for payment.

Following Musk's admission, both Blizzard and Grinding Gear Games have been pressed on whether they will ban his accounts for cheating. Players have expressed their disappointment and concern over the enforcement of the games' terms of service. One Path of Exile player questioned on the game's official forum whether the terms of service are being enforced, especially when openly violated by high-profile individuals like Musk. Similarly, on Battle.net, players have called for Musk's account to be banned if boosting is indeed against the rules.

When approached by IGN, both Grinding Gear Games and Blizzard declined to comment on the matter, with Blizzard stating they do not discuss individual player account behaviors or enforcements.

Musk has previously boasted about his gaming skills, claiming to be among the top players in Diablo 4 and having a high-level character in Path of Exile 2. He has mentioned playing video games as a way to unwind from his demanding roles at Tesla, SpaceX, X/Twitter, and now as Donald Trump's efficiency tsar. However, his gaming prowess came under scrutiny after a livestream where he appeared to lack a basic understanding of Path of Exile 2's mechanics.

The allegations of account boosting were confirmed when Musk admitted to it in a direct message conversation shared by the Diablo player NikoWrex. Musk justified his actions by stating it was necessary to compete with players in Asia, though he clarified that any videos or streams he posts are genuinely his own gameplay. He also denied taking credit for the high level of his Path of Exile 2 character, acknowledging that top accounts often require multiple players.

In defense of Musk, musician Grimes, who shares three children with him, tweeted about his gaming achievements, claiming to have witnessed his accomplishments firsthand.

Further allegations surfaced when Musk's Path of Exile 2 character was seen active in the game while he was attending Trump's inauguration in Washington, raising more questions about his involvement in cheating.