Activision Revisits Cheating Issues, Promises to Fix and Improve Anti-Cheat Methods
The creator of Call of Duty: Warzone has seemingly reiterated its commitment to tackling cheating in the game, according to an in-game message originally from April 2020. The post, viewable as the game's Message of the Day, makes clear that Activision is committed to "keep[ing] Call of Duty: Warzone fun and fair," and lays out their methods for keeping tabs on any naughty behavior from players.
The message, seen in a Reddit post by user SSMKh, promises "24/7 security monitoring...planned improvements to in-game cheat reporting [and] 50,000+ global permabans to date," but as it is originally from last April it's unclear whether there are any updates or new statistics to report. The developer blog the post links to is also from last year, and there's no update on the cheating situation on the site.
The community is using the opportunity to let off a little steam in forums like Reddit. If anything, it seems the reminder of Activision's claims of security monitoring and permabans last year has prompted ridicule from much of the fanbase, which feels that more drastic measures should have been taken by the company in the intervening year. In particular, the figure of "50,000+ permabans" has been drawing derision from players, many of whom point to PUBG's banning of millions of cheaters in a shorter timeframe as an example of how developers should approach the question of cheating.
With all that said, it is interesting timing for this particular message to be popping up again. Controversy in a recent Warzone tournament hosted by Twitch, in which a competitor was accused of using an illegal aiming tool, has the subject of cheating and hacking in the game on everyone's minds, and pressure is building on Activision to make a public statement on the matter.
The game's issues with cheating are so severe that several streamers and YouTubers are considering jumping ship and abandoning the game, no doubt bringing swathes of their fanbase with them. Despite Activision's claims in their April 2020 message, the general consensus seems to be that their anti-cheat mechanisms are woefully inadequate, with hackers and aim-bots frequently slipping through the cracks, and many fans are clamoring for an official response from the company.
The types of cheating used in-game are varied, from aim-bots which help players to hone in on targets more quickly and easily to gaming the Warzone Skill-Based Matchmaking system, causing experienced players to spawn into less-skilled lobbies for easier kills. Activision's silence on the matter, even in regard to tournaments with huge amounts of money on the line, has proven to aggravate to fans and has even rendered the game unplayable to some.
It's not all doom and gloom, though. Even with the shadows of cheats hanging over it, Call of Duty: Warzone has enjoyed a strong first year since its 2020 debut, proving itself one of the most popular battle royale games around with its engaging gameplay and addictive progression systems. Whether that honeymoon period is over now that more scrutiny is being paid to its issues with cheating and hacking remains to be seen.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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