Introduction
This past week has seen a dramatic escalation in Activision’s efforts to combat cheating and boosting within its popular Call of Duty series. Utilizing its anti-cheat software, Ricochet, the company issued a substantial 65,000 account bans in Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare 3.
Focus on Warzone and Modern Warfare 3
The latest ban wave targets both ranked and non-ranked modes in Warzone and Modern Warfare 3. Activision has been vocal about the proposed crackdown on cheaters. The Call of Duty update Twitter account highlighted, “Team Ricochet has accelerated cheat vendor enforcements resulting in over 65,000 account bans across ranked play and non-ranked modes in Warzone and MW3 this week.” The studio reaffirmed its commitment to continuing these efforts.
Tackling the Boosting Problem
Boosting has become a significant issue within the Call of Duty community. Players have been forming entire lobbies to artificially inflate their stats, playing against bots to gain an unfair advantage. The impact of these activities was visible when an account reached second place on the Warzone leaderboards solely through boosting. Activision’s recent ban wave targeted these behaviors aggressively.
Community Reaction
Despite the impressive number of bans, the community remains skeptical about the long-term effectiveness of these measures. Due to Warzone’s free-to-play model, banned players can quickly create new accounts. While Activision has implemented requirements such as needing a phone number to create accounts, some believe this is not a sufficient deterrent. Comments from players reflect a mix of cynicism and frustration, with sentiments like, “65,000 cheaters created new accounts immediately after being banned,” and calls for improvements to Ricochet.
Conclusion
Activision’s ongoing battle against cheaters in Call of Duty continues to face challenges, even with sizable ban waves. Time will tell if these measures can substantially reduce cheating and provide a fairer playing field for all Call of Duty enthusiasts.
