Gaming giant Activision has stepped up its fight against cheaters by introducing a new detection system aimed at third-party cheat devices such as XIM, Cronus Zen, and ReaSnow S1. The move is part of the Ricochet anti-cheat team’s efforts to combat unfair play in its Call of Duty games. The devices can provide players with an unfair advantage, such as eliminating recoil, and their continued use could lead to a range of measures from in-game mitigations to permanent bans across all Call of Duty titles.
Activision has also introduced a new replay investigation tool to capture and store all match data for signs of suspicious activity in ranked play for Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0. The system has already helped identify cheaters and resulted in permanent bans.
In addition to these measures, Activision has revealed new in-game mitigations, including Damage Shield, which allows innocent players to take fire without being injured, and Disarm and Cloak, which temporarily remove a player’s weapon or turn enemies invisible.
While Activision reported a significant drop in cheaters after implementing anti-cheat measures in 2021, it recognizes that cheaters will continue to find new ways to circumvent the system. By introducing these new measures, the Ricochet team hopes to maintain a level playing field for all players and maintain the integrity of Call of Duty’s online gaming community.