Cheating continues to plague competitive shooters, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is no exception. Since the launch of Ranked Play in both Multiplayer (MP) and Warzone modes, Activision has banned an impressive 136,000 accounts in an ongoing battle to maintain fair play for its community.
Developer Actions to Combat Cheating
In a recent blog post, the Call of Duty team outlined their strategy for addressing cheating and improving player experience. Key updates include:
- Enhanced Detection Models: Advanced systems now detect not only cheaters but also their frequent teammates, flagging accounts for investigation to combat boosting and collaborative cheating.
- Malicious Reporting Mitigation: A new system filters out false reports, ensuring players cannot abuse the reporting function to harass or penalize others unjustly.
The developers also clarified a common misconception about spam reporting, particularly when fueled by cheat developers who falsely promise effectiveness:
“Our system does not consider more than one single report from a player versus another, regardless of how many times it’s submitted.”
Community Calls for Harsher Penalties
Despite these advancements, parts of the Call of Duty community feel current measures are insufficient. Many players advocate for harsher punishments, such as IP bans, to prevent cheaters from creating new accounts.
However, Activision maintains that IP-based bans are not feasible due to potential collateral damage. In their blog, they stated:
“IP-based bans can inadvertently target innocent users within shared networks, such as college campuses or internet cafés. For this reason, we do not employ them as an anti-cheat measure.”
Looking Ahead
With plans to support Black Ops 6 through 2025, Activision is committed to refining its tools and processes to ensure Ranked Play remains competitive and fair. While the fight against cheaters is far from over, these proactive steps demonstrate the developers’ dedication to their player base.
As cheating evolves, so too must the methods to counter it. The road ahead may be challenging, but the community can rest assured that their voices are being heard.
