Diablo 4, Path of Exile 2 Devs Silent on Elon Musk Ban for Account Boosting

Both Blizzard Entertainment and Grinding Gear Games have remained tight-lipped about whether they will ban the accounts of Elon Musk after he reportedly admitted to engaging in cheating practices. Screenshots of a private conversation between Musk and a YouTuber surfaced, revealing Musk's confession to paying for account boosting in the action RPGs Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2.

Account boosting, a practice where a player hires someone to log into their account and elevate their rank, is explicitly prohibited under the terms of service of most live service video games. Blizzard's end user license agreement clearly states that account boosting or power-leveling in exchange for payment is against their rules.

Following Musk's admission, fans have taken to forums to express their frustration and question the integrity of the games. A Path of Exile player posted on the game's official forum, "So now billionaires can buy their way to the top of the HC ladder as a vanity project like owning a football club. Are the TOS not being enforced even when openly broken?" Another player expressed disappointment over Grinding Gear Games' (GGG) lack of response, saying, "I'm not trying to shitpost or troll with this, I'm just extremely disappointed that GGG isn't getting out the ban hammer. Anyone else feel this is undermining the integrity of the game?"

Similar sentiments echoed on Battle.net, where a player questioned, "Is boosting against the rules? If it is, then shouldn’t Elon Musk’s account get banned since he flat out admitted that he boosts his account? I assume he doesn’t get to break the rules just because…"

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

Musk has previously boasted about his gaming skills, claiming to be among the top 20 players in Diablo 4 during an interview with Joe Rogan. He also mentioned reaching hardcore level 97 in Path of Exile 2, though that character has since been lost. Musk has described gaming as a way to "quiet my mind," especially on tough days.

However, Musk's gaming achievements have come under scrutiny. Given his extensive responsibilities at Tesla, SpaceX, X/Twitter, and now as Donald Trump's efficiency tsar, many doubted his ability to dedicate the time needed to achieve such high levels. A January livestream where Musk struggled with Path of Exile 2's endgame mechanics drew criticism from fans who questioned his understanding of the game.

Suspicions that Musk might be paying for boosts were confirmed when a video by Diablo player NikoWrex revealed a direct message conversation on X where Musk admitted to account boosting, claiming it was necessary to compete with players in Asia. "Have you level boosted (had someone else play your accounts) and/or purchased gear/resources for PoE2 [Path of Exile 2] and Diablo 4?" NikoWrex asked, to which Musk responded with a 100% emoji, later adding, "It’s impossible to beat the players in Asia if you don’t, as they do!" Musk clarified that he plays and streams the game himself, but acknowledged that top accounts often require multiple people to compete in leveling races.

In defense of Musk, musician Grimes, who shares three children with him, tweeted, "Just for my personal pride, I would like to state that the father of my children was the first American druid in Diablo to clear abattoir of zir and ended that season as best in the USA. He was also ranking in Polytopia, and beat Felix himself at the game. I did observe these things with my own eyes. There are other witnesses who can verify this. That is all."

Further allegations arose when Musk's Path of Exile 2 character was active during his attendance at Trump's inauguration in Washington, adding to the controversy surrounding his gaming activities.