Queue-it & Akamai launch "Hype Event Protection" to stop bots from hijacking high-demand sales

Rhea-AI Summary

Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM) and Queue-it launched Hype Event Protection on October 6, 2025, a joint solution combining Akamai Bot Manager and Queue-it virtual waiting room to protect high‑demand sales from bots.

The solution limits bots' speed and scale by controlling traffic into events, randomizing customers into queues, and blocking or re‑queuing detected bots. A European ticketing provider used the solution in August 2025; in one on‑sale it reportedly mitigated over 2 million bots (≈98% of traffic) and gave real fans a 50x higher chance of securing tickets. Hype Event Protection is available to organizations using both Akamai Bot Manager and Queue-it virtual waiting rooms.

Positive

• Mitigated >2 million bots in one August 2025 on‑sale
• 98% of traffic blocked as bots in a reported event
• 50x higher chance for genuine fans to buy tickets in that sale
• Integrates Akamai Bot Manager + Queue-it to combine detection and traffic control

Negative

• Requires both Akamai Bot Manager and Queue-it virtual waiting room, limiting addressable customers
• Solution efficacy measured by a single reported customer event (August 2025)

Insights

Cybersecurity Product Strategist

Joint Akamai–Queue-it product aims to block bots at high-demand online events, improving fairness and site stability.

The solution pairs Akamai Bot Manager with Queue-it virtual waiting rooms to throttle incoming traffic and extend detection time. By controlling entry speed and randomizing customers into a queue, the system shifts bots to the back or blocks them, addressing both speed and scale advantages that automated scripts exploit.

Dependencies and risks include correct integration between the two products, operational tuning during live onsales, and customer acceptance of queuing. Reported results from one deployment in August 2025 cite mitigation of over 2,000,000 bots (claimed 98% of traffic) and a 50x higher chance for real buyers; those metrics are central to judging efficacy but require independent validation for broader reliability.

Watch adoption among large ticketing and retail platforms, reproducibility across varied events, and any post-launch customer metrics over the next 6–12 months. The offering is available now to customers using both Akamai Bot Manager and Queue-it virtual waiting room, per the announcement dated October 6, 2025.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Queue-it, the leading provider of virtual waiting room services, and Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online, today announce the launch of Hype Event Protection. The new joint solution delivers advanced bot protection during high-demand, limited-inventory "hype events" like product drops, concert ticket sales, collectible releases, and brand collaborations.

Hype events are magnets for bots, which can outnumber genuine customers by 20 to 1. Automated scripts exploit speed and scale to scoop up inventory, reselling it on secondary markets at inflated prices. Loyal customers lose out, and organizations pay the price through eroded trust and higher operational costs. 

Hype Event Protection combines the robust detection of Akamai Bot Manager with the powerful traffic management of Queue-it's virtual waiting room to remove bots' two biggest advantages: speed and scale. Queue-it controls traffic into the sale, giving Akamai more time and data to identify malicious visitors. When the sale opens, customers are randomized and placed in the online queue. At that point, bots are blocked or forced to re-join at the end of the line. By delaying mitigation until it's too late for bots to retool, the solution slams the door on automated abuse—delivering fairer events, reduced load, and faster access for genuine visitors.

One of Europe's largest ticketing providers used Hype Event Protection for several onsales in August 2025. In one sale alone, Hype Event Protection mitigated over 2 million bots, or 98% of all traffic, giving real fans a 50x higher chance of getting their hands on tickets.

"High-demand events have become a prime target for sophisticated bots, putting fairness, customer trust, and brand reputation at risk," said Patrick Sullivan, Chief Technology Officer of Security Strategy at Akamai. "By integrating Akamai Bot Manager with Queue-it's virtual waiting room, Hype Event Protection delivers a powerful new defense for organizations that need to protect the integrity of their biggest moments online."

Queue-it CEO Jesper Essendrop adds, "For years now, we've seen just how persistent and pervasive the threat of bad bots is to organizations running high-demand events. With Hype Event Protection, we're excited to go to market with a multi-layered approach that combines the strength of two best-in-class solutions in Akamai and Queue-it. It brings us a step further in our mission to help organizations build trust by ensuring fair, reliable, and transparent online experiences at every touchpoint."

In addition to sophisticated bot mitigation, the control provided by Hype Event Protection enables organizations to maintain site performance in the face of massive bot-driven traffic spikes, preventing crashes, slowdowns, and overselling and ensuring revenue capture on mission-critical days.

Hype Event Protection is available to organizations using Akamai's Bot Manager and Queue-it's virtual waiting room. To find out more about the solution, visit https://queue-it.com/blog/hype-event-protection-waiting-room/

About Queue-it

Queue-it is the leading developer of virtual waiting room services, empowering 1,000+ organizations worldwide to build and nurture trust with 30+ billion visitors annually by delivering reliable, fair, and transparent online experiences. Queue-it helps some of the world's biggest governments, retailers, and ticketing companies to capitalize on peak traffic events by preventing website crashes, blocking bots, and mitigating load-induced errors such as overselling. Queue-it is headquartered in Denmark with offices in the U.S., Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. For more information, please visit https://queue-it.com/.

About Akamai

Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence, and global operations team provide defense in depth to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai's full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on the world's most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.

Contacts:

Malou Toft
CRO, Queue-it
+45 25 23 03 00
madt@queue-it.com

Chris Nicholson
Akamai Media Relations
+1.508.517.3703
cnichols@akamai.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2787767/Akamai_x_Queue_it_Logo.jpg

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/queue-it--akamai-launch-hype-event-protection-to-stop-bots-from-hijacking-high-demand-sales-302573889.html

SOURCE Queue-it

FAQ

What is Hype Event Protection from Akamai (AKAM) and Queue-it?

Hype Event Protection is a joint solution launched October 6, 2025 combining Akamai Bot Manager with Queue-it virtual waiting rooms to mitigate bots during high‑demand online sales.

How effective was Hype Event Protection in the August 2025 ticket on‑sale?

In one reported August 2025 on‑sale it mitigated over 2 million bots (≈98% of traffic) and reportedly gave real fans a 50x higher chance to buy tickets.

Which customers can use Akamai and Queue‑it Hype Event Protection?

The solution is available to organizations that use both Akamai Bot Manager and Queue‑it virtual waiting rooms.

How does Hype Event Protection stop bots during product drops or ticket sales?

It controls traffic into the sale to slow bots, randomizes genuine visitors into an online queue, then blocks or re‑queues detected bots to remove speed and scale advantages.

Will Hype Event Protection help prevent site crashes and overselling for AKAM customers?

The solution is designed to reduce bot-driven traffic spikes to help maintain site performance, prevent overselling, and protect revenue on mission‑critical days.