Apple Allows Developers to Modify Game Center Leaderboards and Block Cheating Players

Game Center leaderboards have had a major issue: they were easy to hack in order to record high game scores. But those days are over: Apple has tweaked iTunes Connect in an update posted yesterday so developers can view and manage the top 100 scores and usernames of all their Game Center leaderboards.

According to Apple’s announcement (via TouchArcade) developers have the right to delete fake scores and even block players who post those scores to global leaderboards. This right was previously reserved to Apple.

In order to balance the Game Center leaderboard, iTunes Connect gives developers access to 30 days of scores posted on their app’s leaderboards. If developers determine that players are able to generate fraudulent scores, they can remove these scores from a leaderboard or even block individual players from posting scores. And besides blocking that player from posting scores on a given leaderboard, this procedure also removes all scores on the leaderboard for that player.

While the motivation to cheat just to have high scores is yet unknown to me, Apple’s update aims to cure the issue and restore credibility to the Game Center.