On February 2, 2021, Activision announced that 60,000 accounts were permanently banned. It was later discovered that Activision was able to detect if any accounts were using Engine Owning software to cheat in Warzone. Activision was beginning o feel the pressure from streamers and content creators, as there are more hackers in Verdansk than ever.
RELATED: Call of Duty Issues Statement About Anti-Cheat Efforts
While the initiative from Activision was a fresh breath of air, it is not a solution to the problem in Warzone. The game is free to play, and players can just create more accounts.
Engine Owning is one of the more popular hacking software providers, but there are hundreds of sites that offer various cheating software. Combating hacking companies is no easy task, as the anti-cheat coding can be analyzed and bypassed. However, Activision has not yet proven that they are committed to ridding the game of cheaters and hackers. Engine Owning is not going to give up either. The cheating software company will continue to try and bypass Activision, and considering the evidence thus far, they are likely to succeed.
One of the top content creators and streamers in the Warzone community who goes by the name exzachtt had an enlightening conversation with a hacker several days ago. The hacker claimed that he did not use hacks until cheaters began to take over Warzone four months ago. The anonymous hacker claimed that he has thirty different accounts to use when one of them is banned. Additionally, the hacker claimed that after a certain number of reports, Activision will only issue a shadowban.
Players that are shadowbanned know they are being sorted into hacker lobbies because their ping appears to be 350ms in the loading screen. Activision essentially puts players suspected of cheating in the same lobbies. The shadowban lasts for only a week, and at the end of the week, the account can queue into regular lobbies again. Once a hacker is shadowbanned, the player can just swap to another account and wait a week.
RELATED: Call of Duty: Warzone Streamer BobbyPoff's Major Activision Meltdown On Stream Explained
The hacker that spoke to exzachtt stated that every Tuesday night Activision will update the coding in the game to force cheating software providers to update their programs as well. After several hours, hacking software providers will have the programs updated and working once again. The hacker also stated that of the 30 accounts he uses, only one received a permanent ban. The current shadow ban system does nothing to eliminate hackers and it is merely an inconvenience for players that want to cheat.
While the Engine Owning ban was a positive, Activision needs to contrive a better way to prevent players from just changing accounts after a shadowban. Cheaters that used Engine Owning will just get software from another one of the hundred easily accessed providers. With software websites offering cheats for just $10, it will be an uphill battle for Activision.
RELATED: Call of Duty: Warzone Streamer TeeP Reveals How Many Times He's Lost to Cheaters
There has to be a better way to keep hackers out of Verdansk, such as taking legal action against the cheat providers or banning ISPs. For now, the Warzone community has to wait and hope that Activision is taking the issue seriously. BobbyPoff's rant and Vikkstar's announcement forced Activision's hand, and players are optimistic that changes may be on the horizon.