Speedrunning in video games often leads to extraordinary feats, with some records standing for years. However, a recent investigation has cast doubt on a legendary speedrun in Diablo that had been considered unbeatable for over 15 years.
In 2009, a speedrun by Maciej „Groobo“ Maselewski achieved an Any% segmented run as the Sorcerer, completing it in three minutes and 12 seconds. This record was later recognized by Guinness World Records and became a benchmark in the speedrunning community.
Despite its acclaim, skepticism began to surface regarding the legitimacy of Groobo’s run. In early 2024, speedrunner Funkmastermp collaborated with Allan „dwangoAC“ Cecil to create a Tool-Assisted Speedrun (TAS) of Diablo. Their investigation aimed to replicate Groobo’s performance but uncovered significant inconsistencies.
The team utilized a custom map tool to reverse-engineer the game seeds Groobo used. They sifted through approximately 2.2 billion RNG seeds but failed to find any that could replicate the seemingly flawless run. This led them to believe that Groobo’s record was not a single run but rather a compilation of various segments.
Further analysis revealed additional irregularities, including strange version markers, inconsistent inventories, and quest discrepancies. The investigation concluded that Groobo employed „illegitimate means“ to achieve his record, such as combining gameplay from different runs and manipulating game memory.
On September 10, 2024, Speed Demos Archive announced the removal of all of Groobo’s Diablo runs from their leaderboards. This decision reignited interest in Diablo speedrunning, with new records being set shortly after the announcement.
The investigation highlighted the impact of Groobo’s alleged cheating, as it had previously stifled competition in this category of speedrunning.
For further details, visit the original article on IGN.