Activision's Ricochet Anti-Cheat System Shows Promising Results in "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6"

Activision's dedicated anti-cheat division, Ricochet, has achieved noteworthy advancements in its ongoing battle against illicit activities within the \"Call of Duty\" universe, with particular emphasis on the impending \"Black Ops 6.\" A recent announcement from the team sheds light on their dynamic approach, revealing a substantial reduction in cheating incidents and outlining enhanced security measures planned for future installments. The report underscores Ricochet's commitment to maintaining a fair and equitable gaming environment for all players.

Activision Bolsters \"Call of Duty\" Anti-Cheat with Ricochet's Evolving Tactics and Future Hardware Requirements

Activision's anti-cheat group, Ricochet, has provided an update on their success in curbing dishonest play within \"Call of Duty,\" especially concerning \"Black Ops 6.\" In August, the team successfully neutralized over 55,000 players employing unauthorized methods, leveraging clever in-game responses that, at times, led cheaters to inadvertently expose themselves on social media by questioning unusual occurrences like their weapons vanishing or vehicles exploding. These sophisticated tactics allow Ricochet to observe and learn from cheater behavior before implementing permanent bans across all Activision titles.

Beyond immediate bans, Ricochet has been actively targeting accounts involved in boosting other players and regularly cleansing leaderboards in \"Black Ops 6\" and \"Warzone.\" The team also addressed community concerns regarding its reliance on remote attestation—a system verifying PC security settings directly with Microsoft—over client-side alternatives. While acknowledging that this approach might occasionally cause issues for players with outdated firmware, particularly those using older AMD graphics cards, Ricochet firmly believes remote attestation offers superior protection by making it significantly harder for compromised systems to bypass security checks. They are, however, committed to improving in-game notifications to better inform players about their PC's status if it fails these vital checks, especially given that the vast majority of \"Call of Duty\" cheaters originate from PC platforms.

Furthermore, Ricochet plans to refine its limited matchmaking feature, which segregates suspicious accounts into a separate player pool. To enhance transparency and player experience, an in-game alert system will be implemented to notify players if they are moved into this pool or if they join a party that is already in it. Looking ahead to the November 14th release of \"Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,\" PC gamers will face a new requirement: enabling both Secure Boot and TPM 2.0. These hardware-level protections will be rigorously tested during the game's beta phase, with their full force unleashed at launch, marking a significant step in reinforcing the integrity of the game. Ricochet emphasizes that there is no singular solution to cheating, but their continuous adaptation and stronger enforcement, including faster detections and deeper cuts into cheating networks, demonstrate a robust commitment to fair play.

This proactive and multi-layered approach by Activision and the Ricochet team represents a crucial step towards fostering a more equitable and enjoyable gaming environment for the \"Call of Duty\" community. The innovative use of in-game mitigations, coupled with the upcoming hardware-level security requirements, demonstrates a clear commitment to staying ahead of those who seek to undermine fair competition. This ongoing dedication to anti-cheat measures not only safeguards the integrity of the game but also reinforces player trust, ensuring that skill and strategy, rather than illicit advantages, determine success on the battlefield.