The Cheating Epidemic in Call of Duty

Overview

• Recent surge in cheating since Modern Warfare 3 Season 5 dropped.
• Cheating affecting both Multiplayer and Warzone modes.
• Prominent issues include lag switching, wall hacks, aimbots, and account hijacking.
• Players report feeling the impact directly in their gameplay.

Cheating Examples

• Lag switching and server crashing being reported extensively.
• Cheaters using wall hacks and aimbots for unfair advantages.
• Serious issues with account hijacking, leading to innocent players getting banned.
  • Victims cannot recover their accounts once banned.

Activision’s Response

• On July 25, Charlie Intel tweeted about two cheater providers being shut down: Raging Nation and Stealth.
• Activision previously won a lawsuit against Engine Owning, a major cheat provider, resulting in a $14.5M judgment in 2022.
• Cheating providers are closing due to legal pressures from Activision.

Current State of Cheating

• Following the shutdown of cheat providers, an influx of cheaters has been reported.
• Players on PC Game Pass may be misidentified as Xbox players due to the game store version.
• Increase in visibility of cheaters in both ranked play and casual matches.
• Mod menus allowing various cheats such as:
  • Aimbots
  • Auto fire
  • Reduce recoil
  • Wallhacks / ESP outlines

Player Experiences

• Users report severe network issues, possibly due to lag switching by cheaters.
• Experience reported of cheaters responding to accusations with claims of superior game sense, indicating lack of integrity.
• Pictures of mod menus showcasing a variety of cheats being used in live gameplay.

Account Hijacking Concerns

• Cheaters may hijack inactive accounts instead of creating new ones.
• Without Two-Factor Authentication, players' accounts remain vulnerable.
• Innocent players may find themselves banned for actions they didn't commit.

Potential Future Actions by Activision

• Speculation that Activision is allowing current cheating to gather data for future bans and updates, possibly in preparation for Black Ops 6.
• The Ricochet anti-cheat is not immediately effective but collects data for future enforcement actions.
• Call to action for a more effective and immediate ban policy to restore gameplay integrity.

Conclusion

• Urgent need for Activision to address rampant cheating in Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.
• Recommendation to avoid these games until a proper resolution is announced.
• Cheating fundamentally undermines the gaming experience; community needs to rally for change.

Key Takeaways:

• Cheating is at an all-time high in Call of Duty since recent updates.
• Significant legal steps are being taken against cheating providers, but the immediate situation worsens.
• Players must prioritize account security and be mindful of the current cheating landscape.