Activision has responded to widespread player concerns regarding cheating in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone, announcing plans to allow console players in Ranked Play to disable crossplay with PC players. The prevalence of cheaters since the introduction of Ranked Play in Season 1 of 2024 has sparked significant backlash from the community, with many citing it as a detriment to competitive gameplay.
Activision's Team Ricochet, responsible for anti-cheat technology, acknowledged shortcomings in the initial Season 1 rollout. They stated that while improvements have been made, the Ricochet Anti-Cheat integration fell short of expectations, particularly in Ranked Play.
A recent blog post details Activision's 2025 anti-cheat strategy, revealing over 136,000 Ranked Play account bans since the mode's launch. Season 2 will introduce enhanced client-side and server-side detection systems, along with a major kernel-level driver update. Further advancements, including a new player authentication system designed to identify and target cheaters, are promised for Season 3 and beyond. Details on this new system are being withheld to prevent cheat developers from exploiting it.
Season 2 will also introduce a crucial feature: the ability for console players to disable crossplay in Ranked Play for Black Ops 6 and Warzone. This addresses concerns that a significant portion of cheating originates on PC, mirroring the existing practice of many console players disabling crossplay in standard Multiplayer. Activision plans to closely monitor the impact of this change and consider further adjustments to maintain game integrity.
While Activision's anti-cheat efforts are often met with skepticism, the company has invested heavily in developing its technology and pursuing legal action against cheat developers, resulting in several high-profile successes. Prior to Black Ops 6's launch, Activision aimed to ban cheaters within an hour of their first match, implementing an updated kernel-level driver and machine-learning systems to detect aimbots and other cheats. They acknowledge the sophisticated nature of cheat developers, describing them as organized groups actively seeking exploits, but emphasize their commitment to identifying and removing cheaters.
