Activision Battles Cheating in Call of Duty with Over 6,000 Bans Issued

Cheating in Call of Duty has always been a risky business, but it’s gotten especially fraught in late February. A recent update from Activision’s official CoD X account said that the game’s anti-cheat team have been monitoring a spike in cheating within the community, which resulted in over 6,000 accounts being banned in a four-day span.

The Ricochet Anti-Cheat System: A Closer Look

According to the post, the developers are currently testing additional security updates, but the team already pushed one that disabled game code that cheaters were using to gain illegal advantages, like super speed. The update also says that some cheat developers claimed that Ricochet–Call of Duty’s anti-cheat system–was offline over the weekend, but Activision clarified that only a “single telemetry system” had been temporarily taken offline. The over 6,000 suspended accounts occurred from February 16 to February 20.

Creative Measures Against Cheaters

Call of Duty’s developers have deployed a number of creative ways of dealing with cheaters in the past. Earlier in 2024, the official CoD X account said that Ricochet will simply close the game client if it detects aim assist cheats like aimbots. Prior to that, Activision indicated that the team behind CoD is experimenting with machine learning tools to better detect cheaters. The developer also introduced a new anti-cheat measure to Warzone called “splat,” where cheaters lose their parachutes and automatically crash to the ground during the battle royale mode’s opening stages.

Warzone Helicopter Cheat Exposed

Reddit user WilsonatorYT posted a gameplay clip of Warzone where they begin to shoot an enemy helicopter as it takes off. However, the chopper picks up speed and ascends into the sky swiftly, making it miss all the bullets and damage dished out by the enemy. At the end of the clip, during the last, end circle, WilsonatorYT and their teammate are the alive and they encounter the cheater once again. They notice that the enemy is out of the map on their helicopter far out of reach. As a result, the cheater essentially wins the game by default.

Activision’s Ongoing Battle Against Cheats

Activision has launched a new Call of Duty ban wave following reports of rampant cheating in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone. Following “a spike in cheating reports within the community,” the publisher said it banned over 6,000 accounts for cheating and hacking over a five-day period in mid-February. In order to combat recent issues, Activision said it has disabled game code for limited-time perks like super speed and is currently testing additional security updates.

Future of Anti-Cheat Measures

With the continuous evolution of cheating techniques, it’s clear that Activision’s anti-cheat efforts must also evolve. The publisher’s use of machine learning, AI-powered voice chat moderation tools, and creative in-game penalties like the “splat” system highlight an aggressive approach to maintaining fair play in Call of Duty. As cheaters find new ways to exploit the game, Activision’s ongoing updates and security measures will be crucial in preserving the integrity of its popular franchise.

Activision’s continued efforts to eradicate game-ruining players in Call of Duty has seen the publisher deploy new technology, such as the Splat system introduced in November. By using machine learning and the Ricochet anti-cheat system, the Splat system is able to identify cheaters and randomly deploy their parachute to send “them careening into the ground after they deploy.” It’s not just cheaters that Activision has been cracking down on either. As reported in January, the AI-powered voice chat moderation tool introduced last year has already helped the publisher issue enforcement action to “more than two million accounts” for breaking the Call of Duty Code of Conduct.