Verified and Vetted: New Entrust–PlaySafe ID Alliance Aims to Kick Cheaters and Creeps Out of Online Games

In a digital landscape where cheating, impersonation, and predatory behavior continue to erode trust in online gaming communities, one startup is betting that identity verification—not just better moderation—might be the key to turning the tide.

PlaySafe ID, the emerging platform that promises to “keep the bad actors out of games,” has announced a strategic partnership with Entrust, a global identity security heavyweight. The deal centers on deploying Entrust’s AI-powered identity verification tech to power PlaySafe’s gamer onboarding process—bringing Know Your Customer (KYC) to the multiplayer lobby.

At the heart of this initiative is a radical shift: making digital identity verification mandatory for certain multiplayer spaces—without sacrificing the anonymity that players value. Using facial biometrics and government ID scans, players are issued a unique, anonymized PlaySafe ID that acts as a digital passport to gaming communities that prioritize fairness and safety.

“Gaming should be fun, fair, and safe for everyone,” said Andrew Wailes, CEO of PlaySafe ID. “Our partnership with Entrust ensures that our user verification process is both secure and scalable, and also aligns with the values of frictionless user experience and privacy.”

Here’s how it works: users register with PlaySafe ID, scan a government-issued ID, and record a brief video selfie. Entrust's backend tech checks the authenticity of the document, ensures it hasn’t been tampered with, and performs a biometric match against the video to confirm liveness and identity. The verified user is then issued a PlaySafe ID—a randomized, pseudonymous identifier that’s decoupled from their real-world identity during gameplay.

In short, it’s a privacy-forward KYC system built specifically for gamers.

While similar approaches are gaining traction in fintech and Web3, bringing this kind of rigor to gaming is novel. The platform aims to curb cheating, bot farming, account boosting, and toxic behavior by making verified human identity a prerequisite for access to protected games and matchmaking lobbies.

PlaySafe ID isn’t trying to replace Steam or Xbox Live—it wants to integrate with them. And it might be arriving at the perfect time.

Starting July 2025, the UK’s Online Safety Act will require that platforms accessed by minors implement meaningful protections against harmful content and behavior. PlaySafe’s verification system could give developers a ready-made compliance tool—especially for studios without the resources to build child-safety frameworks from scratch.

“We’re proud to join PlaySafe ID in their mission to make online gaming a safer place,” said Samuel Steg, Head of Compliance for Identity Verification at Entrust. “Fraudulent activity online continues to grow both in scope and sophistication, and gaming environments are no exception.”

Steg emphasized that Entrust’s solution provides “high-assurance KYC checks” while maintaining a smooth onboarding flow—an essential requirement in a space where even a few seconds of added friction can mean user drop-off.

The bigger picture? Verified digital identities may be the new meta—not just for deterring abuse, but for restoring trust. With generative AI making voice cloning and deepfakes trivially easy, the bar for proof-of-personhood is rising fast across sectors. Gaming might just be where it goes mainstream.

PlaySafe ID is currently in talks with several major gaming platforms, with initial launches expected before year’s end. If the pilot succeeds, a future of bot-free, safer lobbies might finally be more than just patch notes.