Call Of Duty Anti-Cheat Update Makes Cheaters Unable To See, Hear Legitimate Players

Activision has rolled out a new anti-cheat update for Call of Duty that adds a new feature called “Cloaking.” This is a function of the Ricochet anti-cheat software that makes cheaters unable to see other players.

Activision rolled out this update quietly, and players have discovered it in the wild in Call of Duty Warzone. Now, Activision is breaking it down in a more official capacity and explaining how it works.

“With Cloaking, players that are detected to be cheating can find themselves unable to see opposing players in the game world. Characters, bullets, even sound from legitimate players will be undetectable to cheaters,” Activision said. “Legitimate players, however, can see cheaters impacted by cloaking (generally, they’ll be the players you see spinning in circles hollering, ‘Who is shooting me?!’) and can dole out in-game punishment.”

This is just the latest mitigation technique to go after Call of Duty cheaters. Previously, Activision deployed a feature called Damage Shield that prevented a cheater from being able to inflict critical damage on a legitimate player. As such, the cheater is vulnerable while the legitimate player is basically invincible.

Activision revealed these details about Cloaking as part of its announcement that the Ricochet anti-cheat software is now available for Call of Duty: Vanguard, following its debut in Warzone last year.

Season 3 for Warzone and Vanguard arrives April 27, and it was another massive season for the latest Call of Duty titles. Godzilla and King Kong are coming to Warzone in May as part of an Operation Monarch event.

Looking further out, Activision will launch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 this year, and it could be a pivotal moment for the series, which is slowing down lately.

Activision Blizzard has come under pressure and scrutiny lately for its workplace culture, as well as controversies surrounding its top boss, Bobby Kotick, who is accused of knowing about and covering up instances of sexual harassment and abuse.