After the launch of Black Ops 6 Ranked Play, the mode was quickly overrun by cheaters, prompting even popular content creators to express their frustration on X. However, following significant actions by the developers, Activision disclosed that over 19,000 accounts have been banned since the mode's release.
This article will delve into the issue, outline the steps taken by the developers, and detail updates to Ricochet, the game's anti-cheat system, aimed at addressing the cheating problem.
Strict measures taken by Activision, with over 19,000 Black Ops 6 Ranked Play bans since mode's launch
Activision revealed in a post on X that over 19,000 accounts have been banned since the launch of Ranked Play for Black Ops 6 on November 21, 2024. Shortly after the mode went live, it was full of cheaters, with players frequently encountering them in matches, resulting in a frustrating experience.
Many players voiced their concerns and frustrations, prompting the developers to quickly address the issue. They discovered that a data outage in Ricochet, the game’s anti-cheat system, had significantly reduced its AI efficacy, leading to the surge in cheaters.
The outage was resolved, and the developers implemented aggressive measures, such as targeting suspicious accounts and accelerating Replay Investigations to review potential cheaters.
The developers are actively rolling out updates to combat cheaters, including a recent update with the following measures:
- AI systems continue to ramp up with code optimizations to accelerate enforcement.
- Over 19,000 Ranked Play bans since the mode launched.
- Hourly sweeps to remove cheaters from the Ranked Play mode and leaderboard.
These updates indicate that the AI systems are now functioning efficiently and are better equipped to identify and counteract cheating. The improved system detects unusual player behaviors and gameplay patterns, and recent code optimizations have further increased its efficacy. This may allow for faster detection of cheaters, and quick actions can be implemented against them.
Banning accounts helps maintain fair gameplay and preserves the integrity of the game. With such aggressive measures, cheaters may be discouraged from exploiting the system.
Additionally, hourly sweeps act as a proactive measure to monitor active matches and leaderboards, identifying and removing accounts engaging in irregular activities, such as sudden rank jumps or abnormal gameplay patterns.
With these significant updates to Ricochet — the anti-cheat system in Black Ops 6 — the game is now in a stronger position to tackle cheating. The developers should continue prioritizing this issue by releasing regular updates and actively addressing player feedback to ensure a fair gameplay experience for everyone.
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