Massive Ban Wave Hits Call of Duty Community

Activision cracks down on cheating in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone with a significant number of player bans.
Massive Ban Wave Hits Call of Duty Community

Highlights

  • Activision banned 58,000 accounts in a single day, targeting cheaters using third-party tools for paid skins.
  • Over 27,000 accounts banned in a weekend after system upgrades, with more bans anticipated.
  • Despite ongoing cheating issues, Call of Duty recently experienced a surge in popularity on Steam, reaching over 166,000 concurrent users.

Activision has revealed a crackdown on cheating in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone, resulting in the banning of over 58,000 accounts. The company plans to continue these ban waves to address violators in the future.

Acknowledging the persistent cheating concerns within the Call of Duty community, Activision has been enhancing its Ricochet Anti-Cheat system. Recent improvements led to the banning of more than 27,000 accounts over a single weekend, with ongoing ban waves expected to follow.

A spokesperson from Activision informed CharlieIntel, a Call of Duty news source, that nearly 60,000 accounts were banned in a day, indicating advancements in the detection methods of the Ricochet system. The bans targeted not only conventional cheaters but also individuals using external tools to access premium skins unlawfully, including a professional CDL player. The extent to which the 58,000 banned accounts engaged in cheating impacting gameplay, such as wallhacks or aimbots, remains unclear.

Crackdown on 58,000 Call of Duty Cheaters

The sophisticated cheating tools employed by some in the Call of Duty community have posed challenges for anti-cheat measures, with some software proving adept at evading detection. While staying ahead of evolving cheating techniques is a constant struggle, fans are hopeful that Activision's significant resources will eventually overcome this issue. The company has reiterated its commitment to combatting cheating in Call of Duty, though player frustrations persist.

In the aftermath of the ban wave, certain affected users alleged on social media that their suspensions were unjustified. Contrary to these claims, Activision maintained that all bans were warranted, with no erroneous permanent bans issued. It is speculated that these users may have been utilizing tools for skin unlocks rather than traditional cheating methods.

Despite the challenges posed by cheating, Call of Duty recently achieved its highest weekend player count on Steam in 2024. The game attracted over 166,000 concurrent users on the PC platform, with additional players on Battle.net, PlayStation, and Xbox. This growth was largely attributed to a free trial period for Call of Duty from April 4 to April 8.