Pokemon speedrunning record holder banned over suspected cheating
The world of competitive Pokemon has been rocked, as the world record holder for speedrunning Pokemon Red has been banned over suspected cheating.
11th Jan 2024 10:24
Images via The Pokemon Company
Pokemon speedrunning record holder banned over suspected cheating
The world of competitive Pokemon has been rocked, as the world record holder for speedrunning Pokemon Red has been banned over suspected cheating.
11th Jan 2024 10:24
Images via The Pokemon Company
Competitive gaming is a big business, and if anyone's watched 2007's The King of Kong documentary, you'll know people take it very seriously. Away from those of us who just play casually, there are those who are determined to platinum everything and, above that, competitive gamers with their lightning-fast fingers.
In the 28 years of Pokemon, we've seen 38 core games, side titles like Snap and Stadium, and the bizarro world of spin-offs like Detective Pikachu. With so many games, it's a speedrunner's paradise. Pokemon speedrunning sees players try to be faster than Rapidash, but now, the competitive scene has been rocked by a scandal.
Pokemon speedrunner banned over suspected cheating
Speedrunner Jadiwi did the seemingly impossible in 2023, breaking a Pokemon Red speedrunning record that many thought it would be impossible to top. January 2023 saw speedrunner Pokeguy smash the Pokemon Red any% run glitchless, with it being declared "without a doubt the greatest world record ever set in Pokemon speedrunning."
Speedrunners were sure that Pokeguy had killed the category off with a jaw-dropping 1:44:03 time, but then along came Jadiwi. Seemingly coming from nowhere, Jadiwi started setting records across a number of games - then put the Pokemon Red run in his sights. In the end, Jadiwi bagged the seemingly impossible 1:43:52.
The Pokemon community was suspicious about how quickly Jadiwi had picked up record-breaking speedrunning, which led to an investigation from moderators. As reported by GamesRadar, the extensive report is available online, with the crux of it being that Jadiwi is suspected of cheating.
This damning report maintains there's "sufficient evidence to accuse Jadiwi of cheating." This means he has been immediately removed from "all PSR [Pokemon Speedrun] leaderboards, leaderboard moderation duties, and ban him from submitting further attempts to the leaderboards."
There's apparently evidence that Jadiwi's Pokemon Red speedrun had been pre-recorded before being streamed to Twitch. An equally damning message popped up on Pastebin, where someone claiming to be Jadiwi appeared to confess to splicing together various attempts. This means the record now goes back to Pokeguy.
Pokemon record holder has retired
While professionals admitted there were points where Pokeguy's record-breaking Pokemon Red run could be improved, the fact it relies so much on luck means it's doubtful anyone will (legitimately) be able to top it. Pokeguy is quite happy where he is and announced his retirement from the category in September 2023.
Having undertaken 2,800 attempts over just six months to land his Pokemon Red world record, we can understand why Pokeguy might be suffering from Pokeoverload. In an emotional post, he opened up about their mental health issues and explained how he wanted to go back to school.
Pokeguy leaves behind quite the legacy in Pokemon, but ultimately, admitted that "grinding to barely beat them [records] just isn't as fun as I would like it to be." There are sure to be others climbing through the ranks, but as Jadiwi's record is struck off, we find ourselves asking whether anyone will actually be able to beat Pokeguy.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
