Activision confirms Call of Duty: Warzone uses 'internal anti-cheat software' as it reaches 300,000 bans to-date

cod warzone famas
(Image credit: Infinity Ward)

Activision wants Call of Duty: Warzone players to know that it's taking the game's major cheating problem seriously. That's the message behind a new blog post from the publisher after weeks of player complaints calling for a crackdown on cheating. In addition to confirming today's ban wave of over 60,000 accounts, Activision stated that Warzone does, indeed, have its own "internal anti-cheat software."

That may seem obvious for a huge game with millions of players, but Activision has never said as much before today. We know from an update back in April 2020 that security teams worked 24/7 to detect and squash new cheats, but Warzone doesn't use any popular third-party anti-cheat software (such as BattleEye or Easy Anti-Cheat) as many other multiplayer games do. That fact has made players skeptical of Activision's capacity to tackle malicious software, especially as cheating in Warzone has become so prolific in recent months. Now we know that Activision has opted for a similar route as Riot Games did with Valorant, developing its own in-house anti-cheat software.

Unlike Riot, which has promoted its controversial anti-cheat tech as an important feature of Valorant, Activision isn't saying much about its own solution. It took this long for the publisher to even confirm it exists, so that's not too surprising. Today's ban wave is an encouraging note to accompany the news, though. Activision also shared a list of other anti-cheat actions it has taken since Warzone's launch:

  • Weekly backend security updates
  • Improved in-game reporting mechanisms
  • Added 2-factor authentication, which has invalidated over 180,000 suspect accounts
  • Eliminated numerous unauthorized third party software providers
  • Increased dedicated teams and resources across software development, engineering, data science, legal and monitoring

On somewhat related note, Activision took this opportunity to confirm that Raven Software is, indeed, the new source to look to for future Warzone updates. "For Warzone communications, the Warzone development team at Raven Software will take the lead on sharing updates going forward. We will provide monthly updates at a minimum, and when possible, weekly updates to the community," the post reads.

The statement stops short of clarifying what exactly is Infinity Ward's role in Warzone's development moving forward, if any. If Infinity Ward is still working on Warzone in some capacity, it's probably safe to assume work has also begun on the studio's next big project now a full year removed from Modern Warfare.

Morgan Park
Staff Writer

Morgan has been writing for PC Gamer since 2018, first as a freelancer and currently as a staff writer. He has also appeared on Polygon, Kotaku, Fanbyte, and PCGamesN. Before freelancing, he spent most of high school and all of college writing at small gaming sites that didn't pay him. He's very happy to have a real job now. Morgan is a beat writer following the latest and greatest shooters and the communities that play them. He also writes general news, reviews, features, the occasional guide, and bad jokes in Slack. Twist his arm, and he'll even write about a boring strategy game. Please don't, though.

Latest in Call of Duty
A soldier looks out over the Verdansk map, as a single tear rolls down his cheek.
The original Verdansk map is returning to Call of Duty: Warzone, to celebrate which we get a soldier crying to Nat King Cole
black ops 6 season 1
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 has been delayed, as the devs say they're 'taking the time to deliver a great experience' for what will be a 'big moment' for Call of Duty
A zombie santa with six fingers leaps at the screen.
Call of Duty admits it's using generative AI to 'help develop some in-game assets', and suddenly all those poorly made calling cards make sense
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Black Ops 6.
Call of Duty's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover costs like $90 and even the die-hards are in shellshock: 'Cash cow-abunga!'
Ghost, from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022), looks bleakly at a fellow passenger in a transport.
For COD’s sake: One player’s 763-day legal quest to make Activision unban their account ends in total success: ‘Worth the effort’
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2 will let players battle on boats and bullet-trains, with the Terminator entering the fray 'shortly after launch'
Latest in News
Three sheep with big guns in Palworld.
It was 'super popular to hate Palworld' after launch, says community manager: 'A lot of companies might crumble under the threats, under the pressure'
Palworld Ancient Civilization Parts - Grizzbolt with a minigun
'It was a very depressing day': Palworld community manager reveals studio's reaction to Nintendo lawsuit
CS 1.6 remade in CS: Legacy.
A gorgeous ground-up remake of Counter-Strike 1.6 is on its way to Steam, and one of the game's original creators says 'it really gives me old vibes'
Portal P3 pinball table
There's a new Portal game and it costs $12,500
MrBeast posing in front of a stack of cashing, promoting Beast Games season 2
Beast Games opens casting for season 2: MrBeast lost a ton of money on season 1 but apparently not enough that he won't do it again
Ark: Lost Colony teaser still.
Ark 2 is still on: The next Ark expansion 'leads into the events of Ark 2,' says Studio Wildcard