Activision Tackles Call of Duty Cheating with New Anti-Cheat Measures and Crossplay Options
Activision has responded to widespread player concerns regarding cheating in Call of Duty's Black Ops 6 and Warzone, announcing significant updates to its anti-cheat strategy and introducing crossplay disabling options for console players in Ranked Play.
The surge in cheating reports, particularly following the introduction of Ranked Play in Season 1 of Black Ops 6 and Warzone, prompted significant backlash against Activision. Activision's Team Ricochet, responsible for anti-cheat technology, acknowledged shortcomings in the Season 1 launch, stating that their anti-cheat integration, especially in Ranked Play, fell short of expectations.
A recent blog post details Activision's 2025 anti-cheat roadmap. The company revealed over 136,000 Ranked Play account bans since the mode's launch. Season 2 will feature enhanced client-side and server-side detection systems, along with a major kernel-level driver update. Further advancements, including a novel player authentication system designed to identify and target cheaters, are promised for Season 3 and beyond. Specific details on this new system are withheld to prevent cheat developers from exploiting it.
A key immediate change is the upcoming Season 2 implementation of crossplay disabling for console players in Black Ops 6 and Warzone Ranked Play. Given the higher prevalence of cheating on PC, this option will allow console players to compete exclusively against other console players, mirroring a long-standing practice in standard multiplayer modes.
Activision will closely monitor the impact of this change, leaving open the possibility of further adjustments to maintain competitive integrity.
While Activision's anti-cheat efforts are often met with skepticism, the company has invested heavily in its Ricochet anti-cheat technology and pursued legal action against cheat developers, achieving notable successes. Prior to Black Ops 6's launch, Activision aimed for sub-one-hour detection and removal of cheaters from their first match, utilizing an updated kernel-level driver and machine learning systems to identify and address aimbots. Activision acknowledges the sophisticated nature of cheat developers, describing them as organized, profit-driven groups actively seeking vulnerabilities within the game. However, they emphasize that cheat developers inevitably leave traces, which Activision actively pursues to identify and ban offenders.
